Like father, Like Son
by parttimeficwriter
Summary: Harry's son is involved in things he shouldn't be and it leads to worry and heartache for our favourite spook. H
1. Chapter 1

**Despite still having other fic to finish here is a new one...**

**Thanks for the beta Em :-)**

**This is a very belated birthday gift for Lynn hugs

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**Harry whistled to himself as he got into the car. It had been a lovely evening, the food, the wine and above all the company, had been perfect. Even better had been the lingering kisses that they had shared on her doorstep as he bid her goodnight. In all honesty, he had been reluctant to leave, and the fact that she hadn't seemed to eager for him to go was a definite ego boost, but they had agreed to take things slowly and this was only date three. He toyed with the idea of calling her just to hear her voice, then dismissed the notion and chuckled to himself for behaving like a love struck teenager. As the traffic lights ahead changed from green to amber and he slowed to a stop, Harry realised that he was over half way home. Despite the late hour and deserted roads the lights were taking an age but for once he didn't mind. He was in no hurry to get home and had plenty to occupy his mind, like the way she had looked... 

Suddenly, there was a blast of cold air to his side. Momentarily confused, Harry turned towards the door only to find it fully open and a tall figure clothed in a dark hooded top with a scarf covering his face stood at the side of the car.

"Get out of the fucking car!" The words were accompanied by the unmistakable feel of a gun barrel being rested in the centre of his forehead. "Now man, move!"

He nodded slowly, reaching down to unfasten his seatbelt quickly as he was being dragged out of the car. "You fucking deaf? Move before I shoot you old man." Harry lost his footing and stumbled and the hijacker took advantage and pushed him to the ground. "Get on your knees. You've got 30 seconds to hand over your wallet, phone and your watch."

"Ty, let's do one yeah?" Harry hadn't noticed the other masked man until now but was grateful to him for the momentary distraction that allowed him to punch the one with the gun. He settled for a swift uppercut to the lads genitals and was satisfied by the howl he gave.

"Fuck, we gotta go!" The accomplice had reached them now and grasped his friends arm, tugging him to follow. The injured criminal cupped himself with one hand to try and alleviate the pain and threatened to kill Harry, but he was no longer listening. The distant sound of sirens could be heard and, in the tussle with his friend, the second male's scarf had come loose. As the cold metal connected with his face, Harry's eyes locked with a pair of very similar ones. Time seemed to move into slow motion as father and son stared at each other.

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"What kind of vehicle is it Mr Pearce?"

"An Audi A6. In black."

"And the registration plate?"

Harry winced as a paramedic used that precise moment to dab at the gash on his head. He was sat in the back of an ambulance. The police and an ambulance had arrived minutes after Graham and 'Ty' had driven off in his car; an anonymous Samaritan had rung 999 an alerted them to the crime.

"FL56TGL." He failed to mention the tracker he had installed. "Listen officer, I'd just like to go home, is it possible to sort all this out later?"

"As soon as I have the details I need sir. Let's start with descriptions of the two males."

It was a further twenty minutes before Harry was allowed to go home. The officers attending were kind enough to give him a lift home once the ambulance crew had finished tending to his small head wound. He agreed to give a statement to officers the following day and thanked them for their help as he left the patrol car. Once inside, he headed straight for the living room and poured himself a large glass of scotch and slumped on the sofa trying to organise his very jumbled thoughts. He had known, in the abstract sense, that Graham was involved in crime. He'd read the police reports, seen the arrest record and somehow nothing had prepared him for the reality that his son was an actual criminal.

For the first time in a long while, he had no idea what to do. No plan of action, nothing. He hadn't been completely truthful with the police, his disappointment and confusion at everything still outweighed by an overwhelming need to protect his son. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to make sure that Graham didn't get caught; prison was not a place he wanted his only son to experience.

His thoughts swirled until they were a mass of half formed ideas filling his head. Scarlet jumped as he slammed the thick glass tumbler down onto the side table. He reached for his coat and threw it back on.

"Come on girl, let's go for a walk."

The dog was a reluctant companion as they stepped out into the cold, damp night air. They walked and walked, all the streets looking eerily similar in the dark peace of the night. As they had set out, he hadn't been aware of which direction they were headed in, but he was unsurprised to find himself stood outside a familiar door. He knocked and waited for her to answer, smiling as she eventually appeared in front of him, tousle-haired and in her pyjamas.

"Harry? Oh my God what happened to your head? What happened?" Her initial confusion at finding him standing on her doorstep in the middle of the night was replaced with concern as she took in his still bloodied appearance. She dragged him inside and shut the door behind them.

"My head is fine, nothing to worry about." He could see she was about to fire even more questions at him and he held his hands out to placate her. "Please Ruth, I'll explain in a minute. Just let me sit down first."

She nodded and led him through into the lounge, fussing over Scarlett as she sat down on the sofa and the small dog jumped onto her lap. Harry watched in amusement as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "I'm sorry for coming over here so late, I just, I need to talk to someone I trust."

By the time he had told her the entire story and his subsequent anguish over what to do about Graham's involvement, she was curled against his side, one arm draped over his stomach in order to offer as much comfort as she could.

"I want to help him, Ruth, I just don't know how."

"I know you do and it's only natural for you to want to protect him," she leant up and pressed a small kiss to his temple. "I'll help you find a way."

"Thank you," he whispered and turned to give her a kiss only to catch her stifling a yawn. "I'll go and let you get back to bed. At least one of us should get some sleep."

"It's four o'clock in the morning, Harry. Stay here." She was amazed at how calm and confident she sounded, when in reality her heart was pounding at the prospect of him staying.

"H-here? I thought..."

She stood and stretched her hand out to him. "Don't think, just come and get some rest. Things may seem clearer in the morning."

He took her hand and silently followed her through the house and into her bedroom. There was a flurry of nervous activity from Ruth as she tried desperately not to watch him get undressed after she had instructed him to do so, which amused him greatly. This was followed by a tense few moments as they slipped under the covers next to each other, both suddenly shy and awkward until Harry wrapped a hesitant arm around her and pulled her closer. She was asleep within a few minutes and, as he held her in his arms and listened to her soft, even breathing, he was surprised to find himself drifting off to sleep. He took her advice to stop thinking, mumbled that he loved her and let sleep claim him.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Cheers Em.**

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As he lay in her bed and listened to the hum of out of tune singing that was barely discernable above the noise of the shower, Harry admitted to himself that she had been right. Not only did he feel refreshed from the few hours sleep they had managed but he had a vague plan of action for dealing with the issue of Graham. He eased himself out of bed and pulled on his clothes, nose wrinkling in distaste as he put his bloodied shirt back on. He had just stepped out onto the landing as the bathroom door opened and Ruth stepped out in her dressing gown, towel-drying her hair with a small towel.

"Hi." A shy smile accompanied her greeting as she stopped drying her hair and concentrated on making sure her dressing gown was fastened properly. This, however, alerted Harry's mind to the fact that she was naked under the dressing gown.

"Hi." It was almost a sigh. "Tea. I was just going to make some. Would you like a cup?"

"Yes please, I'll, uh, I'll be down in a few minutes."

He took one last look at her, filed the image away for later analysis, and headed down the stairs.

He was sat at the table eating toast, drinking tea and listening to the radio when she appeared in the kitchen. He shook off the slight disappointment that she was now fully clothed, poured her some tea and offered to make her toast. She felt like laughing at the thought, revelling in the intimacy of something as simple and mundane as breakfast. Instead, she graciously accepted his offer and drank her tea as she watched him move around her kitchen.

"Did you sleep ok?" she asked, as he put a plate of hot buttered toast in front of her.

"I did. Your bed is very comfortable." She shuddered involuntarily from the husky murmur of his voice by her ear. Delighted by her response, he was smiling as he took his seat opposite her. "I'm in desperate need of a shower and some fresh clothes though."

"I thought I'd drive in today, that way I can drop you and Scarlett home on my way." She fiddled with the crust of her toast as she added, "Next time you'll have to bring a change of clothes with you."

"I'll bear that in mind." He made no attempt to hide the wide smile that settled on his face.

---

The Grid was its usual hive of activity as Harry stepped through the pods a little later than usual. If anyone found it surprising that he was the last to arrive that morning, they didn't comment. However, the gash to the side of his head did not go unnoticed and there was some speculation amongst the junior members of his staff as to what might have happened. Zaf's theory that Ruth must have clobbered him for trying to get fresh with her on their date was shot down in flames when a blushing and clearly embarrassed Ruth stopped by his desk and informed them that, actually, they had had a lovely evening and Harry was a perfect gentleman. She had scurried off to the meeting room with her head bowed and her files clutched tightly to her chest before anyone could think of a response. Any further speculation was stopped when Harry left his office and reminded them all they were due in the meeting room.

Fully assembled and current operation up-dates over with, Harry addressed them all. "Section D is going to be helping out Special Branch with their ongoing investigation into the recent spate of car jacking across London. I don't want to hear any protests; we deal with organised crime as well as terrorism here. They need some help and we're in a position to give it to them since all our other operations are under control."

"I thought they asked for our help before and we refused?"

"That was then, this is now, Jo." A look from Harry was enough to silence her. "Naturally, our own operations take priority and will be monitored closely, but I want everyone's input on this. The relevant files and information is making its way over here as we speak. I don't think I need to remind anyone here that organised crime and terrorism often go hand in hand, so I want everything cross referencing with the stuff that's on our books. You never know, we may just get lucky."

"It said on the radio this morning that this gang had done a couple more hits over night. I'd say a good place to start is talking to the victims ourselves, get a different perspective on the Police reports."

"Good idea Zaf, get on to that straight away. Talk to your motor trade friend too; see if he can offer us anything. Ruth, do you think you can get the names and address for the latest victims? I'd rather not wait." Adam was surprised to see her gaze flick towards Harry for permission; it was a fairly simple task for someone of her capabilities.

"You'd better start with me Zaf." Harry's voice was level but the look in his eyes defied anyone to challenge him on the validity of this operation. "Ruth will get you the other addresses in the meantime."

---

Having endured being questioned by Zaf for the best part of twenty minutes, Harry was glad to see the back of his young officer. In other circumstances he would have been pleased to see Zaf's devious mind at work, there was no doubt he was skilled at getting information from people and asking the right questions at the right time. Harry admired his effort but in the end Zaf had little more to go on than the Police did from Harry's description of events. As he put his thick winter coat on and looked out across the Grid at his staff hard at work, he felt a slight pang of guilt for not being entirely honest with them. It was a notion soon quashed; this wasn't business it was personal. It was time to put the second phase of his plan into action. He strode across the Grid, slowing down as he neared his second in command.

"Adam, a word." He didn't wait for a reply; instead he entered the pods, confident in the knowledge that Adam would meet him at the usual place.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks Em :-)**

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The wind was icily cold and Harry felt a distinct chill to his bones as he stood on the embankment and waited. The wait was a short one.

"Harry."

He turned and acknowledged the blonde man standing next to him. "One of the two men that stole my car was my son, Graham. I think he was as stunned to see me as I was to see him. I want you to find him Adam."

"I had no idea he was involved in anything like this, Harry."

"Nor did I," he muttered, gaze returning to the water. "He's always been...difficult, and to some extent I knew he wasn't exactly on the straight and narrow. I may have hidden him from the rest of the world, but I kept tabs on him for a while, after the first Police reports came across my desk. I'm not sure where he is now, but the last time I saw him he was living in a squat in Brixton."

"What do you want me to do when I find him?"

"I honestly don't know. I need to see how involved he is with this car ring, and then I can make some decisions."

"I take it this is on a need to know basis." It wasn't a question and, if Adam felt uncomfortable with his bosses request so far, he didn't show it.

"Yes." There was a slight pause, before the older man spoke again. "Ruth knows too."

For the first time in the conversation, a hint of a smile could be seen on Adam's face. "It's going well then?"

"Bugger off," he growled good naturedly, and both men shared a small laugh as they headed back to Thames House.

---

It had been several days since the conversation on the embankment and Harry had had to trust Adam enough not to interrogate him every day for news on Graham. It came as a welcome relief, however, when late one evening Adam entered his office and passed him a slim manila file. With a deep breath, Harry flicked the file open and started to read.

"He's living in a hostel in Peckham these days, Harry. By day he travels into the City and sells the Big Issue and most nights he helps out at the hostel, running activities that sort of thing. Everyone speaks very highly of him at the hostel. From what I've seen so far, he's been trying to straighten his life out. He's even on the waiting list for a flat."

Harry closed his eyes briefly as the relief washed over him. "Any indication of what he was doing helping someone hi-jack my car?"

"He owes a debt and is paying it off this way."

"What kind of debt?" He asked warily, afraid that he wasn't going to like the answer one bit.

"A drugs debt. He was using more than he could pay for, funding what he could by shoplifting and petty theft from commercial premises. One day his dealer suggested an easier way of getting the money and pushed Graham into dealing too. Only, when it came to it he couldn't do it. He went to the dealer and gave him the stuff back, took a bit of a beating and was told in no uncertain terms that he paid the debt or they'd take care of him. Graham's only hope came in the form of a car thief called Tyrone that was using the squat at the same time. Tyrone, or Ty as he's known, showed him the ropes and introduced him to the concept of car jacking."

Having heard enough, Harry covered his face with his hands. "Jesus, Graham."

"I think we have an opportunity here Harry." Adam made sure to meet Harry's gaze when the weary spook looked up. "Ty, not Graham, is obviously the link to the car ring. To all intents and purposes, Graham is just a driver. That being said, he has an invaluable link to Tyrone."

"You want to use him to infiltrate the gang." It wasn't a question, so Adam remained silent whilst Harry got up and paced the room. "What's your plan, because I have to tell you that Graham will not help if he thinks I'm involved in any way, shape or form?"

"Then we don't let on that you're involved. We do just what we always do Harry, lie. Engineer events in his life and use them to our advantage."

"This is my son we're talking about."

"I'm aware of that Harry. Can you honestly say that his life will be better if we don't get involved? There are things we can do to make sure that he gets out of this situation for good and you know it."

"Yes, I know," he admitted quietly. "How do you want to do this?"

"Get him his flat and start to make his prospects look better. With something to lose he's likely to be more co-operative. Plus, most of us will do anything when a pretty woman asks us to..."

"Jo's about the right age, I suppose, and I'm sure she's more than capable of..."

"Not Jo."

"Why not?"

Adam tried hard not to shuffle in his chair as he thought about the best way to word what he was about to suggest. "He's already met someone else, quite accidentally, but I definitely think that it's the way forward. I'm just not sure that you're going to like it."

The feeling of dread was back in Harry's stomach as Adam passed him a photograph. It was the first proper look at his son he had had in a long time but what captured his attention more than that was the familiar brunette who was purchasing a copy of the Big Issue and smiling at Graham.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement on this fic - hopefully this chapter might help set one or two of your minds at rest...**

**Thanks to Lynn for the beta x**

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"You have to be kidding me," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"I wish I were Harry, but this is too good an opportunity to miss. I know that you and Ruth are...close but there's a bigger picture here."

"I'm aware of that Adam and I've never shied away from the tough decisions just because I don't like the cards I've been dealt." He started to pace the floor of his office. "Does she know?"

"Not yet. I'll talk to her first thing."

"No. It should be me. I'll do it. I'll talk to her when you leave." Adam nodded and stood, making his intentions to leave clear. "You can tell the rest of the team tomorrow, they should know."

"You can trust them, Harry."

"I already do."

---

He waited until Adam had exited the pods before ringing through to her. He watched her through the glass partition of his office and gave her a small smile as she answered on the first ring, breathing a soft 'Hi' down the receiver as she heard his voice.

"I need to talk to you."

She was instantly on edge, instinctively knowing that something was wrong, despite his attempts to keep his voice as neutral as possible. There was an irrational moment where she panicked and thought he was going to break things off with her and she thought about refusing to join him in his office. Admonishing herself for being so melodramatic, she pushed the thought away and agreed to join him in his office.

"You're pacing," she commented, sliding the door shut behind her, "and not in a good way."

"It helps me think," he offered by way of explanation as he gestured for her to sit down. She sat and watched in contemplative silence as he paced the length of his desk twice more, eventually coming to a stop and leaning against the front of his desk for support. "I asked Adam to find Graham."

"I thought you might do that," she admitted, causing a flicker of a smile to tug at his lips as he realised how well she knew him. "I assume the pacing means he found him?"

"It's certainly one of the factors." He wiped a weary hand over his face and sighed heavily. He explained what Adam had found and was grateful to her for not interrupting him. He told her everything, well almost. "The rest of the team will be briefed about the operation tomorrow; we need to get started on this straight away, to help find the ones behind the whole outfit. I'm not doing this just for Graham's sake."

"I know that, Harry. I'm sure the others will understand too, if that's what you're worried about?"

"There's something else..." he reached behind him and picked up the photograph Adam had shown him earlier and passed it to her, "You didn't know it but you've already met my son."

She started at the photo in her hands, mouth agape as she tried to absorb the fact that the friendly guy selling the Big Issue had been Graham. It didn't take long for her brain to catch up with the image in her hands and as her gaze flicked up to meet Harry's, she could see the tension in his body as he awaited her reaction.

"You want me to be his contact." It wasn't a question but he nodded anyway. "It makes sense, could save us some time."

She put the photograph down beside her and occupied herself by straightening her skirt out. Unable to take it anymore he crossed the room and knelt in front of her. "If you tell me you don't want to do this, I'll understand. I promise you that you won't be in any danger, we just want you to be friends with him, you don't have to...to, do anything...else."

"I'm glad to hear that because I'm only interested in one member of the Pearce family," she whispered, stroking her fingers tenderly down the side of his face. "I'll do it, I don't mind."

"Thank you." He stood and retreated to the far wall, pouring them both a generous measure of whisky as he spoke. "I didn't want to get you tangled up in my family problems. I wanted you to think, I'm not sure what I wanted you to think..." he trailed off and bowed his head, desperately trying to compose himself.

"Harry?"

He picked the drinks up and returned to the couch, sitting beside her as he first passed her a drink before swirling the contents of his own around the bottom of the glass.

"There are, um, some things that I've done that I should probably tell you about. Things that I'm not terribly proud of and things that might make you look at me differently."

He allowed himself a quick glance across at her and was perplexed by the half smile she wore.

"Harry, you don't have to tell me anything."

"But..."

"No buts." Her finger was warm as it rested against his lips. "You've been a spook for over 20 years, of course there are going to be things that you've done that are on the murkier side of acceptable. I understand that. What is it you want to confess? Your divorce, the affair?"

His eyes widened slightly in surprise at her words, although he reasoned that he probably shouldn't be so shocked that she had known already. Her thumb replaced her forefinger and his body tingled as she brushed it softly over his bottom lip.

"I'm not naive Harry. Besides, I happen to like the man you are." Her soft caresses and sweet voice did more to heal the pain of the past than anything else had done. "My respect and l-love for you won't change. No matter what he tells me."

He reached out and cupped her cheek, "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Something decidedly naughty I'd imagine, knowing you." Her impish smile was too hard to resist and he gave in to the temptation to kiss her. He could taste the tang of the alcohol on her tongue as it brushed softly against the tip of his own and he wanted more of her. More than he knew was entirely respectable whilst still in the workplace.

"Ruth," he murmured against her lips, "we need to stop before I get carried away..." he trailed off as she possessed his mouth once more. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and nibbled on it gently before releasing him from the kiss.

"Maybe I like the idea of you getting carried away..." she whispered, and brushed her hand up into his hair. "Do you love me?"

"More than I thought possible," he answered, mesmerised by the look in her eyes.

"Then take me home and show me how much." Her lips brushed softly over his, "please."

It was a request he would never refuse and he gladly let his mind be consumed only by her and their mutual need. For tonight she was all that mattered, everything else could wait.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks Em x

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**"What the hell is this?" Harry demanded, as he slapped the pieces of A4 paper he was holding onto the table top. 

Adam calmly picked up the offending item, despite knowing full well what was on it. "It's the flat where Ruth will be staying," he shuffled the papers and came to a second sheet with a similar image on it, "and this is the flat Graham is going to be offered."

"It's the most crime riddled, horrendous and dangerous estate in London. To these people and ASBO is a medal of honour and a gun is a fashion accessory. Do you really think this is the ideal location to send Ruth to?"

"Yes, I do. It's what would have been offered to Graham anyway and he'll trust her more if he thinks they have something in common." Harry glared a moment longer, clearly no happier with the situation but aware from the look in Adam's eyes that he was letting personal feelings cloud his judgement. "Malcolm is on his way over to both flats as we speak and is installing safety measures for Ruth along with standard surveillance equipment. She won't be out of our sight, Harry." He gave a curt nod before turning on his heel and marching out of the meeting room. He was back in his office and brooding quietly within a minute.

From his seat behind his desk he looked out across the Grid, it seemed that everyone had something to do. As usual they were working to a tight deadline, everything needed to be in place for the operation by three o'clock. He couldn't fault the dedication of his officers; they had been working non-stop since the briefing that morning. The team had taken the news about Graham with more understanding than Harry had expected, although he wasn't naive enough to think that they were happy about being out of the loop. He had been relieved when Ros had made one of her trademark snide comments; at least it allowed things to return to some semblance of normality. His watch emitted a discreet beep and he cursed under his breath. It was almost time for her to leave.

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Ruth hummed quietly as she pulled on the pair of faded blue jeans she had been holding. It had been some time since she had worn them but at least they were comfortable. The heavy buttons slid easily through the holes in the material, making the jeans fit snugly but not too tight. She turned her attention back to the bench in front of the row of lockers and looked at the thick leather and metal studded belt that was coiled there; that certainly wasn't from her wardrobe. Neither was the rest of the clothing sat next to it: she didn't, and never would, own a Henri Lloyd jacket. There was a slight smile on her face as she remembered her earlier conversation with Adam and Malcolm about her legend.

---

"We need to talk about your sense of style," Adam had said as he joined them both in the forgery suite.

"What's wrong with it?" she sounded defensive to her own ears but was unable to help it.

"Not _yours_ Ruth. Tina's."

"Oh, right. Sorry. What about it?"

"She's less bohemian intellectual and more..." Malcolm trailed off suddenly worried about offending his friend.

"Rough around the edges?" she asked, slightly amused by how quiet both of them had gone suddenly.

"Yes, exactly." A pile of clothing suddenly appeared in front of her and she looked through it carefully.

"No problem," she moved the bundle of clothing to one side, before sifting through the selection of Elizabeth Duke reject jewellery that accompanied the clothes. "The chains are fine but I draw the line at the half sovereign ring, Adam."

He had nodded and watched as she fished it out of the small box and placed it on the table top. Without a further word, she left and made her way down to the locker rooms.

---

Her slight smile was still in place as she reached up to remove her own necklace.

"Need some help?"

She froze and turned towards where the voice had come from. "Are you lost Harry?"

He moved from the far end of the row of lockers, steadily walking towards her. "No, I think I'm definitely in the right place."

"You'll get caught and then there'll be all kinds of new rumours about you!"

He waited until he was directly in front of her before speaking. "I'd never let a bit of gossip stop me from spending time with you, Ruth." A soft, genuine smile lit her features and he reached out and cupped her cheek. His thumb grazed over her bottom lip and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Besides, how do you know I haven't taken the necessary measures to ensure my reputation remains in tact?"

A small laugh escaped from her, "what did you do, steal the 'Out of order' sign from the cleaner's supply room?"

"No," he whispered, eyes sparkling with mischief. "I borrowed it."

She rolled her eyes at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to say goodbye," he admitted, quietly and dropped his hand back to his side.

She hated to see the sadness in his face. "I thought you said goodbye to me last night," she murmured, as she gave him a flirtatious look and straightened his tie. "And again this morning."

She was triumphant as the sadness lifted and was replaced by a cheeky grin. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind but..." Suddenly, she found herself in his arms, bodies pressed close as his head lowered to hers, "if you insist."

She sighed happily as their lips met in a tender kiss, both keeping it intentionally light despite their flirting. He allowed his lips to brush against hers softly one last time before reluctantly pulling away.

"You, take care."

He cupped her cheek and she rubbed her face against his palm. "I will."

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It was only as she sat in the back of the car and they made their way to her new 'home' that the nerves set in. She had been so focused on being strong for Harry that she hadn't acknowledged the fact that she was going out into the field again. She had enough sense to realise that neither Harry or Adam would let her do this if they didn't think her capable of doing the job. Ruth thought about the implications of this operation and promised herself two things. Firstly, she would not let her fear get in the way of anything that needed to be done and, secondly, she would not trust Graham just because she was in love with his father.

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	6. Chapter 6

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Sorry it's been a while...

**Thanks Em x**

Her first night in the flat had been a challenge in itself. It was freezing; no matter how high she turned the thermostat up the temperature remained the same. Deciding that a hot drink was in order, she went to plug the kettle in only to find that it had no plug attached to it. She found the plug on the work top and cursed whoever had been tasked with furnishing the flat. After several attempts of trying to attach the plug, using a butter knife as a screw driver, she admitted defeat and settled on doing things the old fashioned way. Her brain refused to let her forget the reason she was here and, now that she was alone and had time nothing but time to think, she worried about how things would turn out. Frustrated with herself for getting worked up, she decided to call it a night. The bed had been cold and surprisingly lonely after spending the previous couple of nights snuggled close to Harry and she wondered if he felt the same as she drifted off to sleep.

--

An early riser by habit, she was up and wandering about the flat by 7am. A look out of the window as she waited for the water to boil on the stove showed her that it was a grey and rainy day. In fact, the misery of the weather reflected her mood rather well and she grumpily stomped around the kitchen trying to get warm. She ate her breakfast slowly as she thought about how to make the approach to Graham, nibbling at her toast as her stomach churned. Despite the dread that had settled like a lump of lead in the pit of her stomach, the time had passed quickly and before she knew it she was leaving the flat and fighting with her umbrella as she made her way through the estate and towards the bus stop. She was already soaked through by the time she got to the bus shelter, which she decided was just as well seeing as how there was no 'shelter' to it anymore, and waited impatiently, alternatively cursing under her breath at her small umbrella and the weather.

The knot in her stomach had tightened with every mile closer to the city the bus travelled, and her palms sweated as her fingers nervously folded and unfolded her bus ticket while she peered out of the fogged and rain streaked window. Her view of any passing landmarks was hampered by the scrawled insults and half finished games of noughts and crosses that she assumed restless teenagers had written in the condensation. The bus was stuffy and overcrowded, making her wet clothing stick uncomfortably to her damp, cold skin and yet, despite the suffocating warmth, it was still a preferable alternative to the prospect of getting off. She wavered as her hand reached for the stop button and there was a brief thought of not going through with it until Harry's battered and bruised face swam before her eyes and she remembered why she was doing this in the first place.

The rain was still lashing down and most sensible people had decided to give the shops a miss, something Ruth decided she was pleased about since it meant she didn't have to do battle with hoards of umbrella wielding shoppers as she steadily made her way to the corner where Graham would be standing. She used this opportunity to practice her trade craft and suppressed a small smile when she picked out one or two familiar faces from the trickle of people surrounding her. She took her time and even stopped in one or two shops to make a few small purchases for the flat, reasoning that she might as well buy something practical and lend authenticity to her outing at the same time. She had several bags to carry by the time she reached Graham, who was trying to take shelter under one of the shop awnings.

"Big Issue, Love?" he asked, as she drew nearer.

"Ok." She fished about in her purse for the right change, juggling her bags and umbrella awkwardly and almost dropping everything in the process. "I've only got a ten pound note, sorry. Do you have any change?"

He shook his head and told her not to worry about it.

"Listen, it's pouring down out here and you're drenched. How about I buy you a cup of coffee instead and that way I'll have some change?"

He hesitated and she wondered if, perhaps, she had gone about this the wrong way. "You're on."

She flashed him a small smile and pointed to a small cafe a few metres away.

--

"Thanks," her companion muttered as she plonked a steaming cup of tea and a Kit Kat in front of him.

"I-uh..." she trailed off, unsure what to say since he was clearly embarrassed that she thought he needed her charity. "You're welcome."

They sat in strained silence for a few minutes, Ruth cautiously sipping her hot tea and trying not to stare at him as she did so. He really did look like his father and she wasn't sure how she missed the resemblance before.

"I'm Tina," she ventured, giving him a shy smile as she did so.

"Graham." He paused and took a breath, "Thank you for the drink, Tina, I don't mean to be ungrateful..."

"I'll let you return the favour, should our paths ever cross again."

Their eyes met as he gave a brief chuckle and she inwardly let out a sigh of relief that they finally seemed to be getting a slight rapport going. "It's a deal."

She looked out of the window to where the rain still fell in heavy bursts from the clouds above and muttered, "Bloody crap weather."

Graham nodded his agreement and tentatively they started chatting, Ruth suppressed the laughter that threatened to overwhelm her at how English they were being, choosing, instead, to be thankful things had gone smoothly. She didn't want to push her luck and, half an hour later, she made her excuses and left, feeling considerably better about this whole situation now that she had taken the first step.

--

She tried to concentrate on the small TV in the corner of the room but her heart wasn't really in it. She was bored and, for the first time in a long while, she felt completely isolated and alone. She longed for familiar surroundings and friendly faces, instead of these depressingly unfamiliar four walls. Inevitably, her thoughts turned to Harry, and the beginnings of a smile tugged gently at her mouth as she closed her eyes and let herself imagine that he was here with her. Her phone beeped and vibrated against the arm of the sofa and she glared at it in distaste for ruining her daydreaming.

_Here I am, as miserable as sin and you're sat there smiling._

She scanned the message briefly and then read it again, as a slow, sweet smile spread across her face. Her fingers moved swiftly over the keys as she tapped out her response, playfully admonishing him for his blatant violation of surveillance equipment before admitting that she had been thinking about him. A series of increasingly flirty text messages were passed back and forth until Harry spotted her trying to stifle a yawn and innocently suggested that she went to bed. Her answering 

message resulted in him choking on the mouthful of whisky he had just drunk; evidently, she wasn't shy about teasing him, and there was a fleeting thought that he had underestimated her again. Suddenly very aware of his surroundings, he called her a 'saucy minx' and wished her sweet dreams. His fingers reached out and caressed the screen at the same moment that she blew a kiss and mouthed something at the hidden camera.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

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	7. Chapter 7

**There's some bad language in this chapter, you have been warned.**

**Thanks Em :-)**

* * *

"Come on Graham, open the door man. I gotta talk to you." Tyrone banged his fist against the door repeatedly for added effect. "Open the fucking door, Graham, now!"

"Jesus, Ty! Keep the noise down," growled Graham as he finally wrenched the door open and allowed Tyrone to push his way into the small, dark room. "I told you not to come here for a bit. We need to..."

"Let the dust settle. Yeah, yeah, I know but, fuck! If the coppers ain't been by now then we're ok. Main thing is we got the car man, fuck the old guy! Dude had it comin' anyway."

"You could have fucking killed him Ty!" Graham felt sick as the image of Harry's bloodied face swam before his vision. "The plan was to scare not to be violent, it was your rule for fuck's sake! I've come too far to fuck everything up now because you pistol whipped him for smacking you in the nuts."

"I lost it ok? It won't happen again. Don't worry so much, the pigs obviously have no clue and you're almost home free," he slouched on the single bed that took up most of the space in the room, "we can't leave it forever Gray, you know they'll be in touch soon and if you like your knee caps where they are you won't mess about."

The horrible truth of Ty's words made Graham's stomach churn even more, he knew he was right. There was no going back now, he'd come this far and the end was almost in sight. Two more jobs and he'd be free. He sat on the hard wooden chair by the door and rubbed his tired eyes; sleep had not come easily since his encounter with his father. He wasn't certain what he hated most, the crushing disappointment he had seen in his Harry's eyes before they made off or the fact that his father had obviously protected him despite everything.

"I'm not saying I won't do it Ty, I know I don't have a choice. Just, let's be careful, yeah?"

Ty nodded and smiled. "Pub?"

"Can't mate, I've got to pack."

"Pack?"

Graham grinned, genuinely happy for the first time since Tyrone had arrived. "I get my flat this Friday."

"Nice one," Ty congratulated, before scanning the room and trying not to laugh, "but, you have fuck all! Packing should take all of 30 seconds!"

"Piss off!"

"Come on, one beer to celebrate."

Graham smiled and gave in. "One beer."

--

A loud pounding on the door was followed by the incessant ring of the doorbell, as if the person on the other side if the door was keeping their finger against it continually. Seconds before the door wrenched open and she stepped out onto the communal landing, she heard a pounding of footsteps mingled with laughter. She could just about make out three boys running along the far end of the concrete corridor.

"That's right! Run off you annoying little bas..."

"Tina?"

Her head whipped round to her right and she noticed Graham standing there with a large cardboard box in his hands.

"Graham? What are you doing here?" She managed to look confused and wary at the same time and he felt compelled to explain that he was moving in a few doors down.

"Don't worry, I'm not stalking you!" he added, in a weak attempt at humour, and, as he inwardly cursed himself, Ruth tried not to laugh at how much he reminded her of Harry and her first day on the Grid.

"That's good to know," she said, with a small smile, hoping to reassure him that she knew he had been joking.

"Problems with the local kids?"

"What? Oh that?" She had the grace to look slightly embarrassed at having bumped into him whilst she was ranting at retreating teenagers. "I think they're the welcoming committee."

"You've not been here long then?" he asked, shifting the weight of the box uncomfortably.

"A few weeks," she answered vaguely, and he took the hint and didn't press her for more information.

"Well, maybe they'll leave you alone and start on me now that I'm the new guy."

She let out a half-snort, half-chuckle. "Yeah, maybe."

"Well, I'd better crack on, boxes won't unpack themselves!"

"No, I guess not. It was nice seeing you again." She gave him a smile and a little wave and headed back in doors.

"You too," he called after her before heading back to his own flat.

--

"She's good," admitted Jo, slightly shocked as to how easily Ruth seemed to have adapted to the role of Tina.

"She is," agreed Adam, "you should never underestimate Ruth. She can be quite formidable when she wants to be. Especially if she's holding a tree branch!"

"What?"

Adam smiled and leant back in his seat in the obs van. "It's a long story."

--

Graham shuffled from foot to foot as he contemplated whether or not to knock on her door. He was worried she might think it odd for him to arrive on her doorstep so soon after they had last spoken, but the truth of the matter was that he was in need of seeing a friendly face. Moving into the flat was a huge step towards getting his life back on track and, as much as he looked forward to looking for a job and starting a new life, he knew how challenging it would be and decided it would be nice to have 

a friend. Someone who he could talk to that didn't know about all the bad things that had happened in his life so far. Or so he believed, anyway.

He knocked and waited for her to answer. "Hi, I, erm, I wondered if you might fancy a drink?"

"Oh, er, I-I'm not sure..."

He waved a bottle of wine in front of her. "Please? You wouldn't condemn me to drinking on my own would you?"

She gave a small laugh. "I suppose not. You did promise me a drink anyway!"

"Exactly," he replied and followed her inside.

Ruth busied herself finding a couple of glasses and a bottle opener in order to give herself time to compose her thoughts. She was fully aware that every single word they uttered and every move they made would be scrutinised and discussed by a van full of spooks. She knew her immediate concern should be for the operation but, if she was honest, it was for Harry. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be watching every second of their interaction and she desperately hoped that he wouldn't have to hear anything that might hurt him.

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**A review would be lovely x.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks Em.**

* * *

"You managed to get unpacked then?"

Graham gave a small half-laugh at her question. At her look of confusion, he explained. "Sorry, yes. I was just thinking of a friend who took me out drinking the other night instead of letting me pack. He said I had fuck all to pack. Turns out he was right!"

"Oh, right." She was quiet for a moment and as she fiddled with her wine glass; Graham wondered if she pitied him. "Well, less boxes for you to carry at least!"

"And no chance of getting a bad back, either," he teased, and was pleased to see that she smiled with him.

"Moving house isn't quite as glamorous as it's cracked up to be is it?"

He snorted. "Not really. I quite like that it's hard work though. It's honest."

His comment surprised her but she didn't let it show. Her understanding from Harry, not that he had ever actually said as much, was that Graham was spoilt; the kind of person that was always looking for the easy way to do things. Perhaps the young man in front of her was an entirely different person now to the angry teenager that Harry had lost touch with. She was interested to find out.

--

Harry had been relieved when, just after an hour, Ruth had politely, yet firmly, bought an end to the evening. He was, it had to be said, very impressed with her fieldwork so far. She had flawlessly built a foundation of kinship and friendship between them both, and was guarded but not to the extent where Graham would feel unwelcome. It had been odd, but not unwelcome, hearing Graham's voice and seeing his face as he sat chatting to Ruth. Harry couldn't remember the last time he had sat and just looked at his son, as he was doing now, and the stark reality that it was via a live video feed and not in person saddened him more than he had thought it would.

He reached for his tumbler of whiskey and sipped the contents in contemplative silence as he watched Ruth bid Graham goodnight. He was aware that he had had a reprieve from the emotional backlash that would inevitably come, the closer Graham and Ruth became. She might not be bothered by the things he had done, or not done, in his past but, in all honesty, _he_ was. Harry was fully aware that Graham was in this predicament, in some part, because of him. He had failed both Graham and Catherine as a father and that was something he would always be ashamed of. He hated the fact that Ruth would be privy to his biggest failing. The idea of the two of them settling down and starting a family together, something that had occupied his thoughts more often than it probably should have, seemed to be slipping away from him. Why would she ever want to have a family with him after she found out just how badly he had let his children down?

--

Ruth left it a full two days before contacting Graham again. In part it was so she could give herself time and space to think her next move through, but mainly it was so she didn't give him the wrong impression. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was attracted to him. Things were complicated enough as it was.

She knocked on his door and waited for him to answer. "Tina, hi. You ok?"

"Um, yeah fine thanks, I b-brought you a flat warming gift," she mumbled, embarrassed as she thrust a small cactus plant towards him.

"Oh, thanks," he paused, and stared at the plant, "coffee?"

"Love one, actually."

"Come in then. You can tell me how to look after this thing whilst we're at it too!"

She laughed, briefly, and followed him inside. He hadn't been exaggerating when he mentioned that he didn't have many possessions. If it was possible, his flat was even more depressing than hers.

"As you can see, I need to decorate…urgently!" he stated, as he passed her a mug of piping hot coffee.

"It's not that bad."

"Liar!" he accused, but gave her a small smile to let her know he was teasing.

"Ok, it's bloody awful but it's honestly better than my old place!"

"Mine too."

"How did you..." she trailed off and fiddled with her coffee cup, "no, sorry. I'm, um, I'm not going to ask that."

"Ask what?"

She shuffled in her seat and kept her gaze on the table top. "I was just wondering how you ended up here. I mean, you're not from this walk of life originally are you? Not like me."

He was tempted, for a moment, to ask her why she thought that, but changed his mind at the last minute. "It's complicated."

"Right, ok. Sorry. Shouldn't have asked. Just ignore me."

"No, it's just...well it _is_ complicated and I wouldn't want to bore you."

"Fair enough, I understand. Still friends?"

"Still friends," he assured her, and raised his coffee cup in a mock salute. "So, you're from around here then?"

"Not here, no," she paused, and shot him a look. "It's, well, it's complicated."

His laughter surprised her, despite it being the reaction she was hoping for. "Touché."

She smiled at him. "Sorry, couldn't resist. I just moved here but lived somewhere similar before."

"Why did you move?"

"Nosey, aren't you?" she teased.

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes. He was definitely like his father at times. "The short version is that I had an accident at work, got some compensation and quit my job so I could go to college and get some better qualifications. The college here offers the courses I wanted."

"What's the long version?"

"That definitely _is_ complicated," she mumbled and stared moodily into her mug.

"So it involves a man then."

"I didn't say that," she whispered.

"You didn't have to," he countered.

"I think I've shared more than enough for one afternoon," she stated, firmly, leaving him in no doubt that the conversation was closed. He watched as she stood and headed for the door. "Thanks for the coffee, Graham."

"You're right," he called, as she reached the door. She looked at him, the expression on her face asking him to explain. "I'm not from these parts. I, um, I was young and angry and very stupid. That's how I ended up here."

"Maybe you can tell me about it next time?"

"Yeah, maybe," he replied.

She gave him a fleeting smile and then left.

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	9. Chapter 9

**I know this fic is a bit slow going at the moment because it's mainly Ruth and Graham building up a friendship but hopefully a few things will start coming together in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for being patient.**

**Thanks Em.**

* * *

"Right, an update please, somebody," growled Harry, as he marched into the meeting room.

"Three more car jackings over night." Zaf clicked on the projector screen and a map of London came into focus. There were several red dots in clusters across the capital. "Last night's happened over here," he pointed to a small cluster to the right of the map. "I've highlighted three possible places that I think are likely targets given the trend. I'll share that with the plods and see if we can get some surveillance in those areas."

"Good," Harry responded, encouraged they were making some progress.

"Graham was in his flat last night, so we know he wasn't involved. He's definitely lying low for a while so I don't think we need to worry about him getting nicked by Special Branch before Ruth can work her magic and get him onside."

Harry nodded, his usual mask of professional detachment in place despite the relief flooding him that Graham obviously had some sense. "I want her in the loop so she knows to keep the pace up."

"I'm meeting her this morning so I'll tell her then," Adam replied, and the meeting drew to a close. The blonde spook followed Harry out of the door and matched his pace as they crossed the Grid. "She's doing well, Harry."

"She is," he acknowledged, a genuine note of pride in his voice.

"Any message for her?"

He stopped and turned to look at his junior officer. A ghost of a smile flickered at his mouth. "Tell her she's a born spook."

--

The private study room the local library had to offer was an ideal place for Ruth to meet Adam without arousing suspicion. Not that she was being followed. Yet. His face was a welcome sight and she smiled widely at him.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Morning. You don't need to whisper, Ruth; Malcolm did a sweep of the room and it's clean."

He was amused to see a light blush stain her cheeks. "No, it's not that. It's just, well; it _is_ a library, Adam."

He gave a quick laugh and reached across the desk to pat her hand. "I'll try to remember that but I think we're ok in here."

"Yes, you're right. Ok, go on then. Tell me what's been happening."

It didn't take more than a few minutes to recount what they knew so far and the ideas they were working on.

"You're doing well with Graham; don't push things too far but keep working on him. We don't have too long until he'll be used again and, when he is, he needs to be working for us."

"I'm seeing him later and I have an idea that should give me a reason to spend more time with him."

"I'll leave it in your capable hands then."

She fiddled with the pile of books on the desk in front of her. "Is he, um, did he say...never mind," she trailed off, embarrassed that she had even contemplated asking about Harry and if he had sent her a message.

Adam leant back in his chair and watched her intently. "He said to tell you that you're a born spook."

It had been worth risking the wrath of Harry because her face suddenly lit up. A delicious smile settled on her face making him wonder under what circumstances Harry had told her that before.

"I'd better go. Take care, Ruth."

She nodded and smiled at him. "I'd tell you to give him a kiss from me but I think that would raise a few eyebrows!"

"I think I'll let you take care of that, Ruth. I don't fancy getting posted to Iran at the minute," he teased, seconds before slipping out of the door.

She warred with herself about sending him a text message. Giving in to temptation, she pulled her phone from her pocket, typed out her short message and hit send.

--

Harry heard his phone beep as he let his gaze fall over the sprawling city beneath him. He was leant against the small wall, elbows resting on it as he let the fresh air and quiet ease some of the tension from his body. His hand fumbled for the phone in his pocket as he stood, annoyed but not overly surprised at the interruption. Peace and quiet didn't really come with the job title.

_The next time you call me a born spook, it had better come with a kiss xxx_

He smiled softly and reclaimed his earlier position, staring out across the city as he murmured, "Not a problem, my love."

--

"So what are you studying then?" asked Graham, as he sat on the sofa and eyed the large pile of books that were stacked haphazardly in the corner of the room.

"Sociology, Psychology and English."

"I'm impressed."

"I'm not doing it to impress. I'm doing it so I can get out of this hell hole and maybe help a few others along the way," she stated, matter of factly.

"So you're thinking Social Worker? Probation Officer?" he lowered his voice to a teasing whisper and looked about the flat warily, "Police Officer? You do know people have died for less round here don't you?!"

"I might just join now to spite you!" she smiled warmly to let him know she was kidding. "Social Worker. For whatever reason, perhaps it's madness, I have an overwhelming urge to help people…and I can't do that if I'm still sat behind the checkout at Tesco's."

"Well, you could point them in the right direction of the beer aisle, but I'm sensing you mean something more fulfilling!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes. Anyway, how about you? What's your grand plan?"

Graham shuffled about on the sofa. She couldn't decide if it was nerves or embarrassment. "I don't really have one," he admitted, quietly.

"There must be _something._"

He thought for a moment and she watched the emotions play over his features as he did so. If she had to categorise it, she would have said that it was mainly regret and longing etched across his face. "I'd like a proper job. I _need_ a job. God knows I don't want to sign on much longer and the bills need to be paid. It's just, I..." he trailed off and took a sudden interest in the beer bottle held firmly in his right hand.

"It's just what?" she prompted.

"I have to find somewhere that won't care that I have a criminal record or that I don't have a lot of 'actual' work experience. I'm pretty certain shop lifting doesn't count as a viable skill. The job centre's a fucking joke, they're no bloody help." His whole speech had been delivered to the beer bottle, his frustration and bitterness warring with his shame.

Ruth knew she had to tread carefully but she was pleased to get the conversation to the place where she had wanted it. "I, uh, I c-could help you. If you wanted, that is."

He looked genuinely surprised at the offer and her heart ached a little at the realisation that he was used to fending completely for himself. "Er, yeah. I mean thanks. How, though?"

"Well, I have a computer and the internet so we can look for jobs on line and work on your CV and stuff?"

"You sure you don't mind?"

"No, it's fine. We can get started tomorrow, if you like?" she looked at him and smiled. "I'm free from two o'clock onwards."

"Two o'clock it is then." He drained his beer in a long swig and stood up, "Thanks. I-I really do appreciate it."

She nodded and reached for one of the well thumbed textbooks near to her. "Bugger off then, so I can finish my homework."

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**All reviews welcome.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for reviewing and letting me know you're still with me on this one. It means a lot.**

**Cheers to Em for the beta and reassurance!**

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"Wow, you don't mess about when you want to help someone, do you?"

Ruth wasn't sure if it was a compliment or a criticism and gave him an embarrassed smile.

"I wasn't having a go," he clarified, hastily, and thumbed through the stack of leaflets and application forms she had presented him with ten minutes earlier. "Just a little overwhelmed."

"Oh. I know it's a lot of stuff but I just thought it was better to get all the relevant information before starting on anything and the applications are just suggestions, Graham, but I know you said you wanted a job quickly so I printed a couple off to give you a head start."

"It's great. Honestly. I'm really grateful Tina," he said, sincerely.

She beamed at him. "Get comfy then and we'll do the CV first. That way, you can give a copy to the job centre, too, so that they have something on file for you."

She fired up the lap top and opened a Word document, fingers flying over the keys for a couple of seconds before she asked his full name.

"Fast typer," he noted, before answering her question, "Graham Pearce."

"I was a secretary for a while. Fast typing was about the only useful thing I got from the job. Date of birth?"

Ruth was surprised to find how easy the falsehood tripped from her tongue and wondered, briefly, if it was something to be pleased about. She typed the basic details out as he dictated them to her, date of birth, home address, telephone number, education.

"Impressive," she murmured when he told her the name of the school he had attended.

"I didn't think so," he muttered, darkly.

"How come?"

"My father went there too."

"Must have been embarrassing, being there at the same time," she teased, fully aware of what he meant but hoping to encourage him to confide in her further.

"No, you berk. I meant, I followed in his prestigious footsteps. Only I didn't live up to expectations."

"His or the schools?" she probed, gently.

"Oh, I definitely didn't live up to his expectations but I think I was a disappointment to everyone to be honest. I moved schools in the end, but the pressure wasn't much better with my step-father being the headmaster."

"Sounds rough," she offered, sympathetically.

"It was a bit shit but I didn't help things, really," he said, smiling self-depreciatingly, "anyway, you don't want to hear about all that rubbish."

She shrugged and looked at him over the top of the computer. "I'll listen if you want to talk or I'll keep typing if you don't. It's up to you."

"I don't know where to start," he admitted, quietly.

"How about at the beginning?"

That earned her a small smile. "Ok."

He stalled a few times as he started to tell her about where he had grown up, finding it strange talking about it after so long, but found that once he got started it was hard to stop. He was deliberately vague about a few things, and she didn't know why it mattered to her so much but she was pleased that he never once mentioned that Harry was a spy. He'd told her he had a sister and that he'd hated how popular and clever she was because it just drew more attention to the fact that he was a loner and, despite being in the top three of his class, he had never felt good enough where his father was concerned.

"I was always more of a Mummy's boy. I can't decide if he hated that he wasn't first in my affections or that he thought it made me weak but, either way, by the time I was approaching my teens our relationship was pretty much non-existent." He paused and had a sip of his coffee, wondering silently why he was telling her all this. "Then they got divorced. I'm not sure any more which one of them fucked it up the most, maybe it was a joint effort, but at the time I blamed him. What little father- son time we'd had before got even less and I grew to hate the weekends with him. I was so angry with him, so hurt and missing him so much I felt I couldn't breathe at times but I never said that to him. I didn't want to hear his explanations or excuses. I wanted to make him suffer just as much as I was; I wanted him to feel what it was like to be a failure, so I did everything I could to hurt him. No matter what he tried, it wasn't good enough and I revelled in his misery because it finally matched my own."

Ruth wanted to cry for them both. She could imagine just how painful it must have been for Harry but hearing Graham talk about it made her heart ache for them both and she was reminded how much damage loved-ones could do to each other.

"I haven't seen him since my thirteenth birthday. I wasn't particularly welcoming when he came to see me and then I really put the boot in and told a few home truths to my assembled audience which resulted in a punch up between him and my step father."

"Who won?" She hadn't meant to ask, but the words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"My Dad would have beaten the shit out of him," he announced, a small amount of pride evident in his voice as he spoke, "so it was probably a good thing that he came to his senses and left. I'll never forget the way he looked at me as he did. I should have felt elated that I'd managed to hurt him so much but I didn't; I felt like I'd lost him forever. I ran away from home but got caught nicking food from my auntie's house and had to go back, and that was the start of how I ended up here. I always seemed to be in some sort of trouble; I wouldn't listen to my Mother or Robin and by then Dad had washed his hands of me, so one day I just upped and left. My money soon ran out so I started stealing food and experimenting with drugs until I had a habit to fund. I was living in a squat in Brixton when I hit rock bottom."

He ran a hand over his weary face and she could see how painful the memories of that time were for him. He took a deep breath and lifted his head to look at her. "Pathetic isn't it? I'm 26 years old and still angry with my father."

"No more pathetic than being 37 and still angry with your father."

"What did yours do?"

"He died."

"He died? Jesus, I thought I was harsh! It's a bit unfair to hold that against him."

"It's no worse than what you're doing, Graham. I'm sorry that your father wasn't perfect but do you know how many really bad parents there are out there? Parents that don't love their children, that abuse and neglect them."

"I know and I'm not blaming him for everything. He didn't force me to do drugs or to steal or to do any of the other things I'm not proud of. I fucked that part of my life up all on my own, which is why I'm trying to get it back on track without his help too."

"What do you mean?"

"I could have gone home, could have run to my father and begged for his help. He'd have sorted it all out, I know he would. It might have taken me a long time to realise it but he loves me and wants to protect me. I have to do it on my own though, to prove to myself that I can so that one day I can face him and I'll be able to look him in the eye."

She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "You've got this far on your own, you can be proud of that. Your father should be too."

"Thanks," he said, giving her a genuine smile and collecting the bundle of application forms from where they rested on her coffee table. "I should probably get to work on these. Want to help?"

"Sure."

--

Harry wiped the tears from his face but made no attempt to move from his darkened office. He had thought reconciling with Catherine had been emotionally painful but it wasn't half as bad as listening to his youngest child share his heartache with a relative stranger. He'd never considered that Graham's attitude towards him was anything other than spiteful, and was ashamed to admit that he'd blamed Jane for turning his son against him. Where had it all gone so wrong? Harry wished he could take away all the hurt and suffering Graham had felt, but realised that he couldn't. He only hoped he would get the chance to try and make things right between them again. His feelings towards Graham in recent years had been of shame but right now he was unbelievably proud of the man he had become.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Dedicated to all those who reviewed and encouraged me to write the next chapter so soon! Thanks.**

**Cheers to Em for the beta and Helen for her thoughts.**

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**Ten days later.**

"I've got an interview," a beaming Graham stated the second Ruth opened the door.

"Hello to you too!" she teased as she took a step back and allowed him to enter the flat.

"Hi. Sorry, I'm just a bit overexcited."

"I'm only messing, it's great news. What's it for?"

"Security Guard. I thought it was a joke at first but, actually, they might be rather clever – at least I'll know who and what to be watching out for."

"You'll get a snazzy uniform too!"

"Ah, finally I'll be irresistible to the ladies!"

She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. "A one track mind. Typical man!"

He poked his tongue back at her. "Are you going to help me celebrate or what?"

"Go on then, there's some wine in the fridge, or would you prefer beer?"

"Let's go to the pub," he stated, decisively.

She grabbed her coat. "Ok, but I'm not staying too long. I have coursework to do."

--

The bar wasn't crowded but was busier than Ruth had expected it would be at 6pm on a Wednesday.

"Find a table and I'll get the drinks in," Graham told her, not giving her chance to protest as he headed for the bar.

She picked a table that had a good view of the room and waited for Graham to join her. "You should have let me get the drinks. It's your night, Graham."

"You can get the next ones in," he said, with a wink, as he passed her a drink.

His phone ringing stopped her from commenting and her interest was piqued when he took a look at who was calling, muttered 'not tonight' and rejected the call. He shoved his phone in his pocket and took a deep drink of his beer. "Bloody telemarketers," he grumbled.

He was a terrible liar, or perhaps, more accurately, it was a terrible lie. Either way, Ruth knew it hadn't been telemarketers ringing him and, as the hairs on her neck stood on end, she sensed that things were going to come to a head sooner than she had thought they would.

His phone rang again and he swore fluently as he fumbled in his pocket for a moment before angrily switching it off. She made no comment and allowed him to steer the conversation back to his interview, not having it in her to ruin his good mood.

--

They'd retired back to his flat by nine o'clock. The pub had become far too noisy and they were both sufficiently hungry to realise that a packet of dry roasted peanuts was no longer enough. Graham's offer of omelette and chips was far too tempting to refuse and they happily chatted over the impromptu meal. Hunger sated, she agreed to stay for one last drink and they automatically settled on opposite ends of the sofa, both lost in their own thoughts. Ruth had managed to relax, despite the niggling thought about Graham's mystery phone-calls that lingered at the back of her mind, refusing to let her leave her guard down completely. She liked Graham; she really hadn't thought she would, but he had been nothing like she expected and it was a pleasant surprise. She tried not to think about how betrayed he would feel when he found out who she was.

Graham's voice startled her out of her reverie. "Penny for them."

"Sorry, I was miles away."

"I noticed. You're allowed a night off from the coursework, you know."

She smiled at him, briefly. "What have I been doing all evening?!"

"Fair point. I just don't want you to feel guilty about it, that's all."

"I don't feel guilty," she assured him. _Not about that anyway._

"Good. Tonight is just two friends celebrating, although, to be fair, I hardly know anything about you."

"What do you want to know?" she asked, warily.

"I don't know!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, well, that's useful!"

"Just, stuff. Tell me anything. I just feel like you know all about me and I know very little about you."

"What like I'm a Libra and my favourite colour is blue? That type of thing?!"

He laughed, briefly. "I guess so."

She told him small bits and pieces from her legend, enough so that he would feel like she was genuinely sharing but not too much that she might leave herself vulnerable to scrutiny.

He was silent for a few moments but she could sense he wanted to ask her something. He looked slightly nervous and she started to feel uneasy. "Would you like kids?" he blurted out of nowhere and, then worried that it sounded like a proposition of some sort, started to ramble. "Not that I'm offering! Er, not that I'm saying you're unattractive or anything, just, well I'm not...I don't fancy you..."

"Would you like a spade to dig that hole a bit deeper?"

When he looked at her he was relieved to find that she had an amused smile on her face. "Sorry."

"It's fine Graham. I really don't have time for _that_ complication," she muttered, more to herself than him. He raised an eyebrow at her and she hastily added, "You know with my exams coming up."

"Oh right, yeah."

"Besides which I don't fancy you either," she teased and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, well. That's good, then," he smiled and shook his beer can at her. "Another drink?"

"Why not?"

--

Harry stood and followed his son's example by pouring a large drink. He was unbelievably relieved after listening to that snippet of conversation. Not that he had been worried about Ruth falling for Graham, although he wasn't blind to the fact that she did have genuine feelings of fondness for him; he had been more worried about the opposite being true. He doubted that Graham had been shown much affection over the last few years and was wise enough to know that feelings of friendship could often mutate into something else, especially in the mind of a red-blooded male.

He checked his watch and was tempted to call it a night; it was already ten to ten and he had an early meeting in the morning, but he found that he didn't want to stop watching either of them. He had always loved his son, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but he could honestly say that he'd never understood him. It was with a saddened heart that he realised he didn't know the man Ruth was sat with at all.

--

The loud knock at the door made Ruth jump so much that some of her wine sloshed over the side of her glass. From the look of panic on Graham's face, she knew who was at the door, even before he began shouting and a loud man demanded to be let in.

"Gray! Open the fucking door. I know you're in there, man."

He sat frozen on the other end of the sofa and, as the banging and shouting carried on, she had no choice but to rouse him out of his stupor by shaking his arm. "Graham, you'd better open the door before whoever it is knocks it down."

He swallowed and ran a hand over his face before he stood up. "Just ignore whatever happens, ok?"

He'd opened the door before she had time to answer and an irate Ty pushed Graham hard in the chest, forcing him back inside the flat and following him in. "What the fuck do you think you're playing at? When I ring, you answer. Understand?" He moved closer to Graham, trying to intimidate him. "You think you're too good for this now? Is that it? Cos one call to the feds and you're fucked. Don't think I won't. What you staring at bitch?"

Ruth was surprised to find that she didn't break eye contact when he eyeballed her. Her heart was pounding and, if she had time to think about things, she'd have realised it was the adrenaline coursing through her that fed her new found courage.

"Well, well," he turned to Graham, a twisted smile on his face as he pointed to Ruth. "Showing you a good time, is she? About time you got fucking laid."

"It's not like that, we're just friends," Ruth said, her voice sounding much stronger than she thought it would.

"Don't lie to me, bitch. I don't care if you're polishing his knob for him..."

"Don't talk to her like that." Graham walked over to her, "I think you'd better go home, Tina. I need to talk to my _friend_ about his behaviour."

"Will you be ok?" she asked, quietly, relieved, but not entirely convinced, when he told her he'd be fine and walked her to the door.

As the door closed behind her and she struggled to walk the few paces to her own door, she realised that her legs had turned to jelly. She'd never been so happy to see the pokey little flat in all the time that she'd been staying there. Letting herself in, she slumped on the sofa and did the only thing she could, and waited.

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	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter follows straight on from the previous one.**

**Big thanks to the snazziest pea for the beta ;-)**

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"You're bang out of order."

"Yeah? Ask me if I give a fuck," Ty spat, staring Graham down, daring him to make something of it.

For a minute, he thought about retaliating but quickly realised it would only land himself in more trouble. He looked away from Ty's cocky stare, his shoulders sagging as he asked, "What do you want?"

"What do you think? This isn't a courtesy call, Graham."

"I gathered that much," he muttered, sarcastically, and suddenly found himself thrown back against the wall. Ty loomed in front of him, his fist resting under Graham's chin and his knuckles digging into his jaw.

"Don't get fucking clever with me. We had an agreement, remember? You do what I say, when I say it, until your debt is paid off. You ain't home free yet, bro."

"We also agreed no-one would get hurt, so where the fuck did the gun come from? It wasn't me that almost fucked things up, it was you."

He saw the punch coming but wasn't able to dodge it in time. He wasn't sure which hurt the most, the split, bloodied lip or the bump on the head from where his head had snapped back and collided with the wall.

"Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me. Graham," Ty ground out before letting go of him.

Graham nursed his bleeding mouth with his right hand. "This is the last time."

"It's the last time when I say it is, Spoilt Little Rich Boy."

"No. It's over after this one," Graham protested, hating that it sounded more like a plea than a command.

"It's over when I say. I own your arse," he smiled, smugly, and headed for the door. "Be at the usual place, tomorrow night. 11pm."

The door slammed loudly behind him and Graham sunk to the floor in a fit of relief and despair.

--

It was almost midnight when he approached her door. He prayed that she would let him in; he needed to explain, to make sure that she didn't think he was...what? A criminal? A loser? A complete arsehole with wanker friends? He snorted as he realised he probably fell into all three categories.

His knock was quiet, almost as if he didn't want her to hear it. What he didn't know was that she had been waiting for him, for this moment, to arrive. Her heart beat hard and fast in her chest as she answered his knock.

"Graham." The greeting was curt but not without warmth.

"Hi," he said, sheepishly, "can I come in?"

She stood to one side and pulled the door open wider in invitation. "Thanks," he whispered as he brushed past her and took in the familiar surroundings of her flat.

"You're bleeding," she stated, a hint of concern in her voice, despite the fact that she hadn't offered him a seat.

"It looks worse than it is."

She blew out a disbelieving breath. "If you say so."

He paused, not knowing what to say to make things right between them again. Eventually, he settled for the only thing that he could think of, despite feeling how inadequate it was. "Sorry. About before. He – well, it was uncalled for."

"Why did he punch you?"

"Who says he punched me first?" he shot back, uncomfortable about where the conversation was heading.

She folded her arms and gave him a stern look. "Don't play games with me, Graham. We both know that you're in trouble."

"What would you know about it?" he asked, angrily.

Her voice was quiet as she spoke, counter balancing his anger. "Much more than you think."

"What does that mean?" he asked, although from the look of sheer hurt that was etched on his face he'd already figured it out. She was only half surprised when he sprang forward and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "What the hell does that mean?"

He was angry and forceful but she wasn't afraid. It wasn't the CCTV cameras or the reassurance of the backup van that kept her calm; her instincts told her that he would not hurt her. "You know what it means," she answered, not bothering to tell him to let her go or push him away. "You're in way over your head Graham, let me help you."

"Help me?" he laughed, suddenly. "Jesus, I should have fucking known he wouldn't leave it be. You work for my old man, don't you?"

She ignored the question. "You can have your life back, Graham. That's what I'm offering, a way for you to put everything behind you once and for all. Isn't that what you've been trying to do?"

"Don't," he warned as he dropped his hands back to his side and took a step back from her. "Just don't."

"You can trust me. I know-"

"I _did_ trust you," he yelled at her as his eyes suddenly clouded with a film of tears. "That's the fucking point."

"You feel betrayed, I understand, really, I do and there'll be plenty of time to hate me later. Right now though, there are more important things to talk about."

"Like the fact that you lied to me?" he asked and she could hear the hurt that laced his words. "That you've been lying and manipulating me all along? Did he tell you what to say? What buttons to push?"

"Graham, this really isn't about your Father," she said, hoping to placate him enough to at least make him see that he _needed_ their help.

"Bull shit," he shouted as he paced the floor of her small flat like a wild animal that had been caged. "Everything is about him. It always has been! Mr High and Fucking Mighty; he hasn't changed a bit. Where is he? Tell him to come here and face me."

"No. You don't get it do you?" she asked, sharply. "He stopped you from getting arrested after you and your _friend_ stole his car and smashed him around the head with a pistol. He could have been killed and all he could think about was you - saving you from going to jail - and he's still trying to stop that from happening, in the only way he knows how."

He looked at her, disbelief etching across his features as he read between the lines. "Oh God, you're screwing him aren't you? How fucked up is that?"

She flushed from the accusation but refused to feel ashamed. "It's not like that, and I'm here because I have a job to do and because I genuinely want to help you. It's not too late for you to turn your life around."

His jaw flexed as he quietly paced and she wondered what was going through his head. Eventually, he slowed and turned back to face her. "I want to see him. Bring him here."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Graham."

"I don't care. Where is he anyway? In a van outside? Or maybe he's at home happy to let everyone else do his fucking dirty work?"

Two heads snapped to the door as a soft but firm voice answered, "I'm right here Graham."

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	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks to everyone that's still reading :-) **

**Special thanks to Lynn.**

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"Dad."

Harry took a few steps into the flat, coming to a stop an equal distance from both of them. "That's an improvement on your last greeting, Graham," he said, quietly, with an awkward smile.

Father and son just looked across at one another, both aware of so much that needed to be said but unsure where to begin. Harry saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and turned in time to see Ruth by his side.

"I'll give you two a few minutes alone," she said, accompanying her words with a gentle squeeze of Harry's arm as she passed. A brief smile flickered at the corners of his mouth as their eyes met, and then she was gone. The sound of the door latch clicking into place seemed to echo around the dreary flat as the two men stood and watched each other silently.

"I don't imagine that you're pleased to see me, Graham," Harry said, his matter-of-fact tone belying the emotions that were swirling beneath the surface. "I would ask that you listen to what I have to say before-"

"What about what _I_ have to say?" he interrupted, not nearly as in control of his emotions as Harry, "Don't think I don't know why you're here."

"I'm here to help sort this mess out Graham."

"No, _you_," he stabbed an accusing finger in Harry's direction as he spoke, "are here to make sure I don't become a bigger embarrassment to you than I already am."

Harry bit down sharply on his anger, reminding himself that a full blown shouting match wasn't going to help either of them. When he spoke his voice was low and controlled. "If that were the case I wouldn't have involved my officers, would I?"

Graham shrugged and Harry was reminded of the petulant teenager he had last fought with. "I know you have a brain Graham, feel free to use it at any time."

"Obviously I don't or I wouldn't have been suckered in by your girlfriend!" he retorted, angrily. "You're twisted. Who sends their girlfriend to spy on their son? No wonder I'm fucked up."

"Are you angry that she's my girlfriend or angry that she's good at her job?"

"Don't try and play your mind games with me, I had enough of them when you lived at home."

Harry ignored the comment and carried on as if Graham hadn't spoken. "What you're really angry about is that you care for her and she turned out not to be everything you expected. You're hurt and feel stupid for confiding in her." Harry slowly stepped forward and began to close the distance between them both. "What you don't realise, because you don't know Ruth like I do, is that she does actually care for you. More than she should, from a professional stand point, but she wouldn't be who she is if she didn't."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" he spat as he glared moodily at Harry.

"Grow up Graham!" Harry snapped, finally unable to hold his temper any further. "_You_ aren't exactly an innocent party in all of this."

"Grow up?! In case you hadn't fucking noticed _Harry_, I'm not a spotty teenager anymore. I'm an adult and I can sort my own life out, I don't need you to come to my rescue."

"Oh yes, you've done a fine job so far. How was it our paths crossed again? Oh, I remember. You were helping steal my car, whilst someone held a gun to my head," Harry retorted, sarcastically, before becoming serious and pointing to Graham's bloodied face. "It really looks as if you have it all under control."

Graham shuffled from foot to foot and avoided his father's gaze. "Yeah, well, I'm not saying it's perfect..."

"No, it's not."

"But at least I'm fucking trying!" he exploded, angrily, as he took a step back from Harry. "I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you but I can't change who I am."

"I've never asked you to!" Harry shouted back as he began to pace the floor. "I've only ever wanted you to do well, Graham. I know I haven't been the best father in the world, but I am the only one you've got. Don't ask me to stand by and watch you throw your life away because I won't." He turned to find Graham watching him.

"You can't force me to do it your way."

"Actually I can but I'd prefer to appeal to your sense of self-preservation." The younger man was silent and for the first time since they'd started talking, Harry felt that Graham might actually be listening to what he had to say. "This is your second chance, Graham, don't let it go just because you hate me."

Harry felt his throat constrict as Graham's voice wobbled with emotion as he spoke. "I don't hate you, Dad."

"Then let me help you. I can't change the past but I'm here now, Graham."

Graham looked up and met his father's eyes. A small smile flickered at the corners of his mouth as he said, "Better late than never, eh?"

A rush of air escaped Harry's throat, a half-laugh combined with a sigh of relief. "Something like that."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Keep your arrangement with Ty."

"I'll be followed?"

"Yes. We need to see where you take the cars afterwards to gather intelligence before we raid the place."

"I never go with him to the drop off point."

"Good, that means you won't be anywhere near it when it does eventually get raided. Just stick to your normal arrangements and leave the rest to us. Where are you meeting him?"

"Outside The Elephant and Castle. We always meet there at half past ten."

Harry nodded. "Do what he says but don't make him suspicious. I don't think I need to remind you that he's violent and has access to a firearm."

"No," Graham whispered, "I know what he's capable of."

Harry absentmindedly rubbed his temple as he remembered all too well what the other man was capable of doing. He gave Graham a brief smile. "Be careful," he warned, his protective instincts surfacing, and turned to head for the door. His hand rested on the door handle for a few moments before he quickly turned back around. "I-I'll be here. When it's all over. If you want to talk or something?"

Harry noticed that Graham's smile reached his eyes. "I'd like that, Dad."

--

He was pleasantly surprised to find Ruth waiting for him on the landing, he'd assumed she would go and wait in the observation van. "You'll catch your death out here," he admonished her, gently.

"I'll live. The flat's not that much warmer anyway."

"I can imagine," he stated, grimly.

"How did it go?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"It ended better than it started. Let's put it that way."

She checked to make sure they weren't being watched as she reached out and curled her fingers around his where they hung loosely by his side. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she looked at him. He was overwhelmed by the tenderness in her eyes and he couldn't help the whisper that escaped him. "I've missed you."

It was worth it to see her smile. "I've missed you too."

"It'll be over soon."

"Good," she said as she gave him a cheeky smile, "because you owe me a kiss and I intend to collect it soon."

His answering chuckle warmed her soul and she was glad to see some of the worry ease from his face. It thrilled her to watch him as he warred with himself about kissing her right then. His propriety and professionalism won out but it was nice to know that she had that effect on him.

"Go inside and get warmed up," he ordered as he saw her try to suppress a shiver.

She gave his fingers a final squeeze before letting go. "Goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight sweetheart." He silently watched her enter the flat and then left.

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	14. Chapter 14

**This carries stright on from the last chapter.**

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Graham was still in her flat as she let herself back in. He looked dejected and vulnerable and she felt some of the glow from her chaste encounter with Harry wear off.

"Hi," she said, at a loss for anything else to say. She wasn't really sure what to say to him in light of everything that had happened. She could tell that he had forgotten where he was as he jumped when he heard her voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

For a second it looked as if he was going to smile at her but he didn't. "I should go."

She watched as he hurriedly got up from her small sofa and headed towards her. "Y-you don't have to go, Graham."

He looked at her sadly as he reached her. "Yes. I do."

"Ok. I'll come and see you in the morning," she told him, in a tone that let him know it wasn't a suggestion.

He exhaled loudly and shook his head at her. "Do what you want."

She jumped slightly as the door slammed loudly behind her and she suddenly felt very weary.

--

Sleep hadn't come easy for Ruth and as she got her first look at Graham the following morning, she suspected that she hadn't been the only one to have had trouble falling asleep. He was bleary eyed and unshaven as he answered the door. She had mentally prepared herself for seeing him again, knowing that spending time with him at the moment was not going to be particularly pleasant. She just hoped that, eventually, he'd be able to forgive her.

"Morning," she said, quietly, as he opened the door to her.

She was met with an indistinguishable grunt and the door being left open as he turned and walked back inside. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that it could have been worse: he could have slammed the door in her face. By the time she was fully inside he was staring morosely at the TV.

"Did you manage to sleep?"

He shrugged. "A bit."

She decided against trying to make any more small talk with him, if he wanted to sulk then she was going to let him. At least until she'd made some coffee, she was in desperate need of caffeine if he was going to be in this mood.

She left the kitchen with two steaming mugs of coffee and went to go and join him on the sofa. She sat down beside him and wordlessly passed him a cup. She saw his brief hesitation and couldn't help the frustrated little snap that escaped her. "It's not bloody poisoned, Graham!"

He took it from her and shot her a little look as he mumbled, "You never know, with you lot."

She rolled her eyes at him but didn't take the bait. "I'd ask how you are but I can see for myself that you look like crap."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically, "You don't look much better yourself."

She took a tentative sip of the hot coffee. "I know. I didn't sleep much either," she admitted, quietly.

He gave her a look and she couldn't decide if it was one of concern or one of confusion. "I am worried about you, you know."

He snorted, loudly. "Look, Tina-Ruth, whoever you are, I don't need you to pretend to be my friend anymore. I'm a big boy, I know you had a job to do. Let's just leave it at that and when all this is over you can go back to your life and forget all about me."

"I'm not pretending. I do care," she stated firmly, "and if you stopped playing the wounded party for five minutes you might just realise that there are actually people in this world that do care what happens to you."

"Well, maybe they shouldn't!"

"Well that's just too bad, because they do," she stated. She wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he saw sense; until he saw that he was worth saving. "Before I met you I thought you were going to be really spoilt and have a bad attitude but the only time you've ever lived up to that expectation is right now. I know that you're hurt and confused about everything and I _am_ sorry that I had to lie to you but don't throw this opportunity away out of anger, Graham." She put her coffee cup down and stood up to leave. "Look where it go you the first time."

--

He hated that she was right or, more accurately, that she had seen through him and knew how his mind worked. Her parting words had rattled around in his head for the rest of the day and he wished he could evict her from his thoughts. She had no right to be telling him what to do and it made him mad that she had somehow turned into his conscience. He knew that he had to go through with it, there was no real alternative but that didn't mean that he had to like any of it. He was aware that most of the choices he had made in his life had been bad ones. Decisions borne out of anger and pain and then of shame and fear that had landed him in an almighty amount of trouble. He was tired of living a dual life and the thought that he would no longer have to steal or be indebted to criminals was a welcome one. His reluctance was not out of a twisted sense of loyalty to a man who called himself a friend in order to use him to get what he wanted out of life, nor was it because his father had suddenly arrived on the scene and offered him a way out, one which would inevitably result in them having a relationship again. If he was honest, it was because he didn't know if he deserved this second chance and he was afraid that he might ruin everything a second time around.

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	15. Chapter 15

**For the Pea and the Onion.**

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It was at times like this he wished that he smoked; at least it would give his hands something to do other than shake. Annoyed, he shoved his them roughly into his trouser pockets instead, and fought the urge to pace the pavement as he waited for Ty to show up. It wasn't long until he spotted Ty swaggering up the street towards him.

"I half expected to have to come and get you," Ty stated as he gave Graham's arm a light punch.

"Have I let you down before?" Graham asked, as he fixed him with a hard stare.

Ty grinned, manically, and Graham struggled against the urge to smack him in the mouth. "Relax, bro. You're way too serious."

"I'll relax when we get this done."

"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist. We'll go now."

"Where are we heading?"

--

Zaf lurked in the shadows across the road from Graham and watched as he and Ty walked off down the street. "Alpha 2 to Alpha 1, I have the target, over." He set off just before the two men reached the end of the street and turned left.

"Roger Alpha 1, stay with him until further notice," Adam responded through his comms set as Jo started the engine of the pool car and followed at a discreet distance. Adam picked up his mobile and hit speed dial. "Malcolm, inform Special Branch we have eyes on the suspect. Make sure to keep them in the loop on this one, we don't want to be accused of not co-operating."

"What are the chances that they don't come and join us as soon as we give them our location?" Jo asked when he'd finished with the call.

"Slim to none," he muttered, "and Slim's out of town."

A knowing smile crossed her face. "I thought as much."

--

Ten minutes later, they had company. Jo spotted the tail easily and alerted Adam to its presence.

"Looks like the plods have decided to join in."

"Well it's too late to do anything about it now because that's the signal from Zaf," he replied, as he stared out of the windscreen. "Stop here and wait for him to confirm they have a vehicle."

They weren't waiting long. Zaf's voice was clear but quiet as it sounded through the radio. "Alpha 2 to Alpha 1, suspects are entering a black BMW X5, registration KY56UAZ."

"Roger Alpha 2, maintain position," Adam instructed as he kept an eye on Zaf through the front screen. "Malcolm, make sure you have them on CCTV. I want to know where they're heading the second they move."

--

A very tense Harry paced the obs van as Malcolm monitored and tracked Graham and Ty. They had been driving in circles for the best part of ten minutes and showed no signs of either stopping or heading to the drop off point. Harry prayed to God that Graham stuck to the original plan and got dropped off. He wasn't sure how he'd be able to protect him otherwise, especially since Special Branch had decided to join in.

"Alpha 1, target vehicle has stopped. Do you have visual, over?" Malcolm asked, as Harry's figure loomed over his shoulder.

"Roger that. We have eyes on the target; one male exiting the car now..." Harry's hand gripped Malcolm's shoulder as Adam's voice distorted only to be followed by a large amount of static.

"Malcolm," Harry barked as the techie scrabbled about frantically trying to restore comms.

"I'm working on it," he snapped, flustered all the more by Harry's impatience.

Harry's phone gave a discreet beep and he fished it out of his pocket. He scanned the text message briefly and gave a sigh of relief. _Graham safe and on foot. Zaf bringing him home. Comms completely down. Carrying on with main objective. A._

"That was Adam," Harry announced to the back of Malcolm's head. "Graham is on his way back here with Zaf. Get the comms back up as soon as you can. I'll ask Ruth to come and lend a hand."

--

"Is everything alright?" she asked, the second Harry slipped inside the small flat. It was clear that she had been waiting for news of the operation and Harry was touched that she cared so much about his son.

"Everything is fine," he assured her, and watched as her shoulders sagged in relief. "Graham is on his way back here but the bloody comms has gone down, so Malcolm could do with a hand."

She beamed at him, happy to finally have something to do other than twiddle her thumbs and worry excessively. "I thought I wasn't allowed in the obs van in case I was seen," she jibed, good naturedly, as she walked over to him.

"I think the danger of being seen by anyone that matters has passed now, Ruth," he answered, refusing to rise to the bait. "I'm going to wait for Graham."

She smiled her understanding at him and nodded. "I'll go make myself useful then."

No more was said as they both stepped out on to the landing and peeled off in opposite directions.

--

"This must be it," Adam muttered, as they approached an old industrial estate. He tried the comms again and swore loudly when all he got was feedback through his earpiece. He wrenched the plastic from his ear and threw it on the dash board. "Looks like we're on our own. Pull over here."

Jo did as she was told and parked the car between a couple of cars in front of one of the units. They were both aware of the car that pulled in alongside them as Adam reached for the binoculars and watched Ty drive to one of the far units. It looked run down and abandoned from where he sat but, as the sleek BMW pulled up to the front of the warehouse, the shutters rolled up. He watched until the car had disappeared fully inside and the shutters had come down again before lowering the binoculars and looking to his left. The man in the car next to him lowered his window and, after a second, Adam followed suit.

"We're moving in, in," he consulted his wristwatch and then looked back at Adam, "four minutes."

"What? That's not the brief we're following," the blonde spook told him sternly.

"It's the one _we're_ following. New orders from the Chief to apprehend and detain all suspects on sight."

"You can't do this. If you go charging in there right now we'll never know how big this outfit is and what other organisations it might be linked to."

"It's non-negotiable; I have my orders. This is just your heads-up," the police officer told him as he began to shut the window. "Two minutes and counting."

He watched in disbelief as they dark Vauxhall reversed out of the space and eased out of the car park. "Shit!"

"What do we do Adam?" Jo asked.

"Follow them in and pray to God everything goes well," he answered, as he flung the car door open and jogged to the boot of the car. Jo followed and both threw on their body armour and strapped on the firearms from the strong box in the boot. They were back in the car in record time and Jo floored the accelerator. They made it to the unit just in time to see the first wave of a tactical unit force entry to the building.

Chaotic was the only word to describe the scene as they entered the stormed warehouse. It was obvious that the Police had some idea of the layout of the building but there hadn't been nearly enough time for them to do a thorough job and, as a result people were running all over the place. A number of men who, Adam assumed, had been working on the cars as the raid happened were laid prone on the concrete floor and being placed into quick cuffs by several officers. A quick scan of the half a dozen men showed Adam that Tyrone was not amongst them.

"Forget everyone else, just find Ty," he shouted to Jo, and together they began a slow sweep the building.

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**More soon.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to Em for the beta.**

**Thanks to those that are still sticking with me on this one.**

* * *

"I'm sorry to be here uninvited," Harry said softly as Graham walked through the door of his flat and spotted him sat at the table.

"It's ok, I think I kind of knew you'd be here," he replied and wandered over to switch the kettle on, for lack of anything else to do.

"You did well today." Harry's voice was soft as he spoke but the words made Graham stop in his tracks almost the same as if he'd been shouted at.

"Don't Dad," he whispered, but was unsure if it's a plea or a warning he'd whispered.

Harry carried on regardless. He knew that Graham needed to hear what he had to say just as much as he needed to get it out. "You did. It's not easy staying calm under that kind of pressure. You should be proud of yourself," he paused, purposefully, and waited for Graham to look at him. "I know I am."

They were both very still and Harry's words lingered in the air between them. Graham could see the absolute sincerity in his father's eyes and it took more effort than he would like to admit not to cry. He swallowed hard around the lump that had formed in his throat and managed to find his voice, "It's going to take more than that Dad."

"I know," Harry agreed. He was at a loss for what to do next; in all honesty, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around his son and embrace him, but he was unsure of how Graham might react to that, and remained where he was, staring across the no-man's land between them.

"From both of us," he added and took a hesitant step towards Harry, "but I'm willing to try."

The gesture from Graham was all Harry needed to close the gap between them and reach out to his son. He was under no illusion that a simple hug would fix things but he hoped it might soothe some of the hurt and guilt that Graham had been carrying around with him for all those years. "I won't let you down Graham," Harry choked out as he felt Graham cling tightly to him.

--

Ty walked as fast as he could through the largely deserted streets. Now that he had some distance between him and the lock up he decided that walking would make him look less suspicious than running. The last thing he needed was to draw unwanted attention to himself. He was still shocked that the place had been raided but realised his good fortune of being in the bathroom when the door got kicked in. The first thing he'd done was to flush the rest of his stash, it was no use giving them things to arrest him for and, although he was gutted to see it wasted, he knew it was the smart thing to do. He'd heard a lot of shouting but it seemed contained to the ground floor so he took his chances and went out of the window. It had been quite a long drop, and he'd twisted his ankle when he landed, but that hadn't stopped him from legging it.

He was fairly certain that he must have been followed to the lock-up but, what he didn't understand, was why now? How had they suddenly known where to be and who to follow? All he could think was that somehow they'd been traced after their last job. It had been a close call at the time but Ty hadn't given it too much thought since. He realised that if they knew to follow him to the lock-up, they would check his address when they found him missing. He decided to head to Graham's; that way he could buy himself some time and figure out his next move.

--

Adam cursed fluently as he and Jo finished their sweep of the building only to come out empty handed. "Jo, go and double check the prisoners and make sure we haven't missed him," he instructed and watched as she headed off to the cluster of Police vans that prisoners were being bundled into. Movement to his left caught his attention and he turned to find his Special Branch counterpart grinning at him.

"All's well that ends well."

"Is it?" Adam asked, coldly. "As far as I could tell it was a complete shambles and our main suspect is missing."

"Missing?" The other man blanched slightly.

"Yes and you'd better hope we find him before my boss finds out because he'll eat you alive if we don't have him in custody before the night is over."

The other man was silent for a moment and then gave a curt nod. "I'll get his description circulated and send a unit to check his address, but he can't have gone that far."

"I want to start looking for him from here too. There must be a trail to follow."

"I'll get you some bodies to help."

Adam briefly wondered if he should give Harry a heads up but decided to give it a little longer. The comms were still down, and he could use that to his advantage; there was every chance that they'd find Ty very soon and what Harry didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

--

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ruth asked, as Malcolm tapped away on the keyboard and muttered furiously to himself. They'd tried all the usual things to get the comms back up but nothing had seemed to work and now she was feeling a bit redundant. "Malcolm?" she prompted when she got no answer.

"Sorry, Ruth," he said as he scratched his head. "Er, there isn't really much you can do right now. I just need to concentrate and figure this out."

"How about a coffee, then?"

"Lovely."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she told him and left the back of the obs van as unobtrusively as she could.

--

Ty approached the block of flats cautiously. He didn't really think the police would think to look for him here, at least not yet. He was pretty certain he had a good head start but that didn't mean that he didn't need to be vigilant. He'd already ditched the car he'd boosted halfway here; there was no point in parking it right by the flats if he wanted to keep a low profile, so he kept to the shadows and 

limped towards the flats. He reached the corner of the building and hid behind it as he scanned the car park. He was about to move when he heard a door open and then slam shut. He remained where he was and watched as a lone figure made its way across the car park. It wasn't until the person had reached the door to the stairwell and the dim lighting illuminated her features that he recognised Ruth. Suspicion aroused, he crept after her, wondering just what she might lead him to.

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**All reviews are appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks Em.**

**For Isa.**

* * *

Ty watched from the shadows and relative safety of the stairwell as Ruth walked along the corridor and entered her flat. So far, everything seemed above board but he couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't quite as they seemed. He slunk further into the shadows and brooded about his next move. Graham's flat was in sight; a few steps were all it would take, and he'd be somewhere safe. He could rest for a while, regroup, and think of a way out of it all. He hesitated for a minute more and then stepped cautiously towards the door that would lead to the landing. He peered through the murky glass panel in the entrance for one last time as he opened the door carefully. It had only opened a fraction when the sounds of voices filled the corridor. Ty froze, ears pricked, as he peered through the dirty, lead reinforced glass panel.

--

"It won't be long as it's all over," Harry assured Graham, as he opened the door and stepped out onto the communal landing.

Graham followed his father out and nodded meekly. "Then what?"

Harry gave him a small smile. "That's up to you son." He paused and shuffled slightly awkwardly before carrying on, hesitantly. "You could, uh, well, you could always go home Graham."

There was a look of longing in the younger mans eyes which was immediately followed by sadness. "I'm not sure I can, Dad," he answered, despondently.

Harry clapped a hand to Graham's shoulder and waited for him to meet his gaze. "You can't run away forever, Graham. Your Mother and I might not be on the best of terms but I know, without having to ask, that she misses you. Just think about it, yes?"

"Ok."

--

Ty could only see the back of the man Graham was with but he looked far too well dressed to fit in around the Estate. He couldn't say with any certainty, but it was becoming increasingly obvious to him that Graham must have ratted him out to the Police. He was frustrated at not being able to hear what was said; their voices had lowered considerably since first stepping on to the landing, and he toyed with the idea of somehow moving closer so he could listen. His instincts, however, told him to stay put, which he did, all the while quietly seething that Graham had betrayed him.

--

Ruth was slightly surprised to find Harry and Graham out on the landing as she left her flat. She gave Harry a slightly sheepish smile as she joined them. "Malcolm was getting rather technical, so I made myself useful," she offered by way of explanation and was relieved to see the amusement that glittered briefly in his eyes.

"Tetchy is he?"

"Ever so slightly," she answered, as she shot him a look. "On the brightside I think it means the comms will be back up soon."

"Good," Harry said, seriously. "Let me know as soon as we're in business. In fact, I'll come with you."

"Er, maybe you should stay with Graham." At Harry's look she rushed on, slightly flustered. "I just mean that, well, the van's a bit small with three people in it." That sounded feeble even to her but it was all she could think of when he was looking at her like that.

"I think what she's means is that you'll only make the situation worse, Dad!"

"Yes, thank you for your observations Graham, but I had managed to figure that one out all by myself," Harry replied, drolly, with an exasperated look.

"Just trying to help," Graham teased back.

"You can help by keeping quiet," Ruth admonished, lightly, and was pleased when Graham poked his tongue out at her in response. It was nice to see a brief glimmer of the man she had befriended and she hoped that it meant that he and Harry had made some progress towards repairing their tattered relationship. She also hoped it implied that he was willing to move on from his anger at her deceit.

"Update me as soon as it's back up then," Harry conceded with a half-smile.

"You'll be the first to know," she promised, as she headed towards the stairwell.

She had barely taken three steps when Harry turned around and called out to her, asking if she needed help with the door. She turned her neck and shouted that she'd be fine.

--

Ty had sprung away from the door the second Ruth's attention had been diverted by Harry. His initial shock at recognising Harry had left him rooted to the spot and it was only sheer luck that he hadn't been spotted. He jogged down the next two flights of stairs and hid, as best he could, in the semi-darkness offered by the shadows. He was still reeling from what he had seen and was trying to piece everything together when he heard the unmistakable sound of Ruth's footsteps echoing throughout the stairwell. He thought about his options, there wasn't much time for him to plan his escape. He could run and hide but knew it'd only be a matter of time before the authorities caught up with him. He also knew that, if he stayed where he was, she would see him and then he be forced to do something. His thoughts whirred quickly, but as her footsteps grew closer and his hand reached into his pocket, fingertips closing around the metal grip of the handgun, he realised he'd made his decision.

--

"You can come back inside whilst you wait, if you want," Graham suggested, mainly out of a desire to get out of the cold than from anything else.

Harry's phone ringing delayed him answering. He fished about in his inside pocket for the phone. "Sorry, I have to take this," he murmured before pressing the answer button and barking into the phone. "Adam. It's about bloody time you got in touch...What do you mean 'there's a problem'?"

Graham watched with alarm as his father's head snapped up. He listened intently to the side of the conversation he could hear. "Jesus Christ, Adam. Why am I just learning about this now? No, I don't care about the bloody comms being down, you have a phone. I don't care what it takes but you'll find that boy, and soon, because if you don't..."

"Dad..." Graham said, quietly, as the stairwell door creaked open fully and revealed a frightened looking Ruth in a strangle hold by Ty. "I think I've found him."

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**More soon...**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks to Em for the beta.**

* * *

In the few seconds it had taken for Harry to register what Graham was saying, the world seemed to have slowed down. He knew, instinctively, what he would see when he turned around. His stomach sank, heavily, and a level of fear previously unknown to him seized his body. She looked so small and fragile against Ty's bulky frame. He was a good foot taller than her and the magnitude of what was happening seemed to dwarf her all the more. He noted the pistol held in Ty's right hand which, for now, hung loosely at his side, but he was sure what would haunt him forever was the trickle of blood from her lip and the look of silent terror in her eyes.

"Hang up," Ty instructed, loudly, flexing his grip on the pistol as he did so, "and throw the phone on the floor."

Harry did as he was told, hoping that Adam had overheard Ty speaking. "You don't want to do this, Tyrone."

"Fuck you old man," roared Ty as he tightened his hold on Ruth, "I'm the one in charge here."

"Is that so?" Harry asked, calmly, unaware that Graham was looking at him as if he had gone insane.

"Yes," he stated, lifting his right hand and resting the muzzle of the gun under Ruth's chin. "You'd do well to remember that."

"Ty, don't do anything stupid," Graham pleaded, unable to keep the tremor of fear from his voice.

"Stupid? _Stupid? _The only one here that did anything stupid was you, when you sold me out. Did you think I'd let you get away with it? You should know me better than that Gray."

"I didn't sell you out."

"No? Now why don't I believe you?"

"Just listen," he pleaded and took a step towards Ty, "this isn't what you think-"

"Graham," Harry said warningly, increasingly aware that he didn't want two of his loved ones in Ty's sights. When Graham fell silent, he addressed Tyrone. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, Ty, but I suggest you put the gun down and release my officer before you get hurt."

Ty laughed derisively. "Who's gonna hurt me old man? You?! Or maybe this one's," he nodded at Ruth as he carried on, "a trained Ninja and is gonna get all kung-fu on my ass!?"

"Stranger things have happened," Harry said, enigmatically, which only served to irate Tyrone more.

"I should have fucking killed you when I had the chance."

"Yes, you probably should have done."

"Dad!" Graham said sharply, to try and get his father to stop antagonising Ty any further, only realising his mistake as Tyrone's eyes went wide with surprise.

--

Adam barked instructions at Jo as he sped through the city at breakneck speed. "Get every available unit to that Estate and get hold of Malcolm and tell him what's going on. I want eyes on that corridor right now."

Jo didn't respond, she just did as she was told. "I've co-ordinated with Special Branch; they're diverting all their units to the Estate but I've told them to hold off until we get there."

"Good," he acknowledged as he swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. "Get onto Malcolm, I want to know what's happening."

--

Malcolm barely looked up as the doors to the van opened and someone climbed inside, assuming it to be Ruth returning with the coffee.

"Don't say hello then," Zaf said, cheekily, when Malcolm didn't acknowledge him.

"Zaf, what're you doing here?"

"I brought Graham back a while ago and then I left to meet back up with Adam and Jo but with the comms out I never caught back up with them. I thought I'd better come and check-in here when no-one got in touch."

"Ah, well, I'm still working on communications. I think it might be-"

The phone rang and Zaf was thankful to whoever it was for saving him from an explanation of the systems failure.

"Jo, excellent timing- what? Hang on I'll put you on speaker phone," he motioned Zaf closer and enabled the loudspeaker so that Jo's voice rang out as she explained what was going on.

"Zaf," it was Adam this time, "we're still a good few minutes away but I want you up there. We think he's armed, so take the usual precautions, but this is Harry, and his son at risk so he needs our help."

"I'm on my way," Zaf responded, unzipping his heavy jacket as he spoke.

"Malcolm, you and Ruth co-ordinate with the plods -"

"Oh God. Ruth," Malcolm uttered, suddenly.

"What about her?"

"She went to get us some coffee and hasn't come back yet. That was," he checked his watch, "almost twenty minutes ago."

--

"Dad," drawled Ty, repeating the word again and again, almost as if it was an alien concept to him. "That's interesting."

"Ty-" Graham tried to say something, anything, to resolve the situation but was cut off by Ty sneering at him.

"Guess I don't need your little girlfriend after all..." he moved the forearm that was wrapped around Ruth's neck lower, until one hand rested on her breast. "Shame, she looks like a real goer too."

Ruth kept her eyes firmly on Harry, willing herself to be stoic, as he groped her roughly.

"That's enough," Harry declared, menacingly, and took a predatory step forward.

"Ok," Ty said, simply, as he removed the gun from its current resting place and trained it on Harry. Almost as soon as he had drawn aim, he fired a single round but what none of them had counted on had been Graham. Instinctively, he'd turned to his father and tried to push him out of harm's way. Harry felt Graham sag against him slightly and knew the awful truth without looking.

As Graham had thrown himself in front of Harry, Ruth had taken advantage of Ty's distraction and brought her heel sharply down on the man's foot. He cursed and yelled in pain, doubling over slightly which allowed her to slam an elbow back into his torso, winding him. She struggled and fought with every ounce of her being, desperately trying to make him drop the gun. In the end, he was much stronger than her and recovered faster than she had anticipated. He caught her in the side of her temple with his fist, knocking her to the floor, and she felt as if her brain was rattling around her skull. She could see Harry covered in blood, cradling his son, and it all seemed so far away from her. She wanted to help, knew she needed to get up, but couldn't seem to get her limbs to co-ordinate properly. She looked up to see Ty looming above her, gun in hand, and looked on helplessly as he pointed it first at her and then at Harry.

"Which one first, you or him?" he demanded, laughing.

"How about you?" Zaf asked sweetly seconds before he smacked Ty over the back of the head. Stunned, Ty fell forward onto his knees and Zaf was able to disarm him before pushing him down to the floor. Within minutes of Zaf appearing, the landing seemed to be swarming with people in uniforms. Police Officers arrived to formally arrest Ty as an ambulance crew worked at a furious pace to keep Graham alive. There was some hope that he would pull through but, as Harry was all too aware, nothing was ever certain.

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**Only one more chapter to go and we all know that leaving a review will make me write it faster! **


	19. Chapter 19

**For Em - Leader of the 'Save Graham Society' and fastest beta in the West ;-)**

**It seems that I was mistaken when I said this would be the last chapter, hopefully the next one will be!**

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The waiting was interminable. Harry's initial frantic pacing of the corridor had given way frustration and anger as the time had slowly ticked away; mainly frustration at the lack of news and anger at himself. He was terrified at the prospect that Graham would die just as they had finally found a way back to each other. Ruth watched him with concern from her seat; she had been with him for very agonising minute and wished there was something she could do. As the memories of it all replayed in his head, he prowled the corridors once more, a tense, almost dangerous, air about him as he moved.

"Harry!" she shouted, louder than intended, and was a little alarmed at how he rounded on her. "Come and sit down, you're making me dizzy. Please?"

He seemed to think about it for a second before capitulating and joining her on the bank of uncomfortable seats. She reached over and held his hand and he chastised himself for allowing her to comfort him. He didn't deserve it.

"It's not your fault, Harry," she murmured, adamantly, as if she had read his mind.

"Of course it is."

"No it isn't," she said, sternly and looked at him. She stared at him until he turned to face her and the raw emotion on his face broke her heart. "It was the act of a mad man, Harry; a desperate, cowardly, person that tried to kill us all. Graham knew that and he chose to protect you. It was crazy and heroic and beautiful because it was borne from love and that's what you should focus on, Harry. Focus on how much he loves you and when he comes around you can both battle it out for who's more to blame because, knowing Graham, he'll blame himself for it all too."

"I love you," he said, quietly, as he pulled her into his embrace. A silence surrounded them as they sat, huddled together, their minds full of silent prayers and promises to any, and every, deity that might be listening.

"I'm praying to a God I've never believed in that he's going to be alright," he whispered, eventually.

His admission made her smile, softly. "I am too."

He looked at his watch and sighed heavily. "I've been putting it off, hoping I wouldn't have to make this phone call, but I think I'd better ring his Mother."

Ruth nodded in understanding and noted the grim look on his face. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I'll be fine. Besides, I want you here in case there's any news." He stood and pulled his mobile phone from his pocket and looked for the nearest exit. "I won't be long."

--

True to his word, he hadn't been gone long, but she could tell from the look on his face and the furious pace of his stride that it hadn't gone well. He had the same look now as he always did when he returned from Downing Street.

"She's on her way," he told her as he almost threw himself into the chair beside her. "_She_ certainly thinks it's my fault."

"Then she's wrong." That earned her a small smile and he reached for her hand to show his appreciation for her support.

"Mr Pearce?" His head snapped up immediately and Ruth squeezed his hand reassuringly as they both waited with bated breath to hear what the doctor had to say. "Your son is a lucky man. We managed to stop the internal bleeding and have been successful in repairing most of the damage. He should make a full recovery but it's going to take a while for him to be back on his feet."

Harry's shoulders sagged with relief and emotion threatened to overwhelm him. He clutched Ruth's hand tightly and allowed himself a moment before he spoke. "Can I see him?"

"He's sleeping but you can go in for a few moments," answered the doctor.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, and the doctor was aware that he was being thanked for more than letting him see Graham. Harry looked briefly at Ruth, only letting go of her hand when she nodded her understanding. She knew he was reluctant to leave her out but she understood that this was something Harry needed to do alone.

He was barely aware of his surroundings as he followed the doctor through the maze of corridors to the intensive care unit where Graham had been taken after his surgery. He thanked the doctor once more then squared his shoulders and slipped inside the room. The first thing that struck him was how small Graham looked in the bed; he looked so young and fragile surrounded by machines and monitors which bleeped quietly in the background. He shuffled himself nearer to the bed, desperately needing to touch Graham. He needed the physical reassurance and placed one palm on the centre of Graham's chest, feeling his heart beating beneath his fingers and watching the rise and fall of his hand as Graham breathed in and out. He was reminded of doing the same thing when Graham was a baby, obsessively checking to see if he was still breathing because he always lay so perfectly still.

"You silly, silly boy Graham," he whispered, his voice breaking as he did so. He sobbed quietly, wiping his tears away with his free hand as best he could. "I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way round. I was so scared I was going to lose you."

After a few minutes he composed himself and wiped the remaining tears from his face. He moved his hand from his chest, finally reassured, and gently stroked Graham's cheek. "When you wake up we're going to have words about this but, in case I forget to mention it later on, thank you for saving my life." He stooped down and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. "I love you Graham, don't ever forget that."

The discreet knock at the door indicated to Harry that his time was up for now. "I have to go now, but I won't be far away. Rest all you need son, I'll be here when you wake up."

--

"How is he?" Ruth asked, the second Harry was in earshot.

"He's still sleeping and is terribly pale but he's alive. That's the main thing."

"Thank God," she mumbled and rubbed her fingers over her weary face. She fought the tears as they stung her eyes but gave into them as she felt Harry's arm wrap around her shoulder. He held her steady as she cried with relief and told her not to be silly when she started to apologise and scrub at her face. "I think I'll go splash some cool water on my face."

"Why don't you go home and get some rest sweetheart?"

She gave him a look and he was reminded of how stubborn she could be. "Are you leaving?"

"No," he admitted, quietly.

"Then I'm staying put."

"Ruth, that's ridiculous-"

"No it isn't, I want to be here when he wakes up. I know I can't see him but I want to be here for you."

"I know you do, Ruth, but Jane will be here soon and I doubt it's going to be pleasant," he admitted, softly, with an imploring look.

She sighed, heavily, and cupped his cheek. "Stop trying to protect me, Harry. I'm a big girl and meeting your ex-wife doesn't frighten me. Do you want me to be here with you?" He nodded and gave her a small smile, which she rewarded with a chaste kiss. "Then I'll be here, no matter what happens."

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**Reviews are lovely and make me smile.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Finally, the last chapter is here – I should say it's unbeta'd so sorry for any mistakes, but I'm trying to get this up before I have to go back to work tomorrow!**

**Thank you to everyone that has read it and to those that have taken the time to review it too, it's meant a lot to me.**

**This one's for you, Pea. Thanks for the beta's, the support and the endless encouragement. Heart you xxx**

* * *

Ruth was rather glad she'd visited the bathroom and made herself a bit more presentable when Jane arrived. She could instantly see where Catherine got her looks from and why Harry had been attracted to her in the first place. She was smartly dressed and looked as if she had just stepped out of a parents evening, or something similar, because, despite the late hour, there wasn't a hair out of place.

Ever the gentleman, Harry stood as she approached and waited, somewhat awkwardly, in the middle of the, largely deserted, corridor. "Jane." His greeting was curt but he did temper it with a polite smile.

"Is he awake yet?" she demanded, disregarding the formalities.

"No, not yet, but the doctor thinks he'll make a complete recovery," he told her and watched as the relief swept across her face. "It'll take some time though and he'll need looking after -"

She cut him off with a wave of her hand and a glacial look. "He's my son, it goes without saying that I'll be the one to look after him."

Harry bit down on his impulse to remind her that Graham had a mother _and_ a father and counted to ten in his head before he spoke. "What if Graham doesn't want that?"

"Why the hell wouldn't he want to come home?" she demanded, incensed that Harry dared to challenge her about it. "I can hardly see you nursing him back to health, you could barely cope when he was ill as a child never mind this."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and Ruth appreciated just how hard he was fighting to hold on to his temper. She desperately wished she could help but was wise enough to realise that getting in the middle of them right now would only lead to more problems. "I'm not fighting with you about who gets to look after him, Jane, but he's changed. He's seen things and done things that have made him a different person and I'm not sure that he's ready to come home yet."

"I don't care about what he has or hasn't done, Harry. I just want him to come home and be safe," she said earnestly, her anger deflating.

"I know and I feel the same way but he's got his pride and wants to sort himself out without our help. Knowing how stubborn he is, I imagine he'll try and nurse himself better too. I just think you should be prepared for that."

"Proud and stubborn, I wonder where he gets that from!"

Harry was aware that it was as close to a thank you as he was likely to get and graciously smiled at the comment. A small snort of laughter from his left reminded him of Ruth's presence and he turned to introduce her a split second too slow.

"Who the hell are you?" Jane demanded and, inexplicably, Ruth immediately sprang to her feet.

"Just a friend," she answered, diplomatically, and gave a small smile.

"My son or my husband's?" she asked with a cold, hard stare.

"Both," Harry interjected, authoritatively, as he fixed Jane with a look, "and I haven't been your husband for a long time."

Jane waved her hand dismissively. "Are you going to explain to me why your _girlfriend_ is here and how she knows Graham?"

"Ruth's here because I want her to be," Harry said and moved to stand net to Ruth.

"That's not really an explanation, Harry."

"It's the only one you're getting," he answered, firmly, the look in his eyes daring her to argue.

Ruth looked on, helplessly, and was reminded of the tense relationship between her own mother and stepfather. It was in moments like these that the fine line between love and hate was visible for all to see. Movement at the end of the corridor caught her attention and she turned to see the familiar face of the doctor approaching.

"Harry," she whispered, urgently, as her hand found his, "the doctor's coming."

Both Harry and Jane automatically switched their attention to the tall man striding towards them. "Doctor?" Harry asked as he drew level with the trio.

The doctor smiled. "He's awake now. You can speak to him for a few minutes but," he looked from Harry to the women on either side of him, "only two visitors tonight I'm afraid."

Ruth squeezed his fingers and whispered that she would wait there for him. He squeezed her fingers in return and gave her a soft smile of thanks.

"Let's go then," Jane said, impatiently, as she strode off down the corridor. Harry closed his eyes briefly, and took a deep breath before turning and following her.

---

Their visit with Graham had been very brief, a few minutes during which Mother and Father were united. He was awake but dosed up on medication and was barely aware they were there, let alone fully conscious of what was being said. They both left with promises to return the following day as Graham slipped back to sleep, his body demanding the rest it needed to begin the healing process. Harry followed Jane out of the room, stealing a last look at Graham as he closed the door behind them.

"I'll get him some clothes and things tomorrow..." Jane trailed off as she realised she was talking to herself. She turned to find Harry slumped against the corridor wall, one hand covering his face. "Harry?"

When he didn't acknowledge her she walked over to where he was stood and found, to her surprise, that he was crying softly. She called his name again and waited as he wiped his eyes and composed himself slightly.

"He could have died because of me," he said, eventually, voice gruff with emotion.

"Yes," she said, simply, "he could have done, but he didn't. I don't know what happened to make you step in but I'm not stupid, Harry. I know he must have been in a hell of a lot of trouble and you've brought him out of that. He's here and he's safe."

He nodded, gratefully, and pushed himself off the wall. "I would tell you the whole story but I think it should be Graham's choice."

"I won't push him on the subject, there are some things that a mother doesn't need to hear."

He gave her a small smile. "I'll walk you out."

"There's no need. You should go and see to Ruth, I'm sure she'd like to know how Graham is," Jane said, sincerely and Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"You're being civil. I'm not used to it."

"Enjoy it whilst it lasts," she warned, with humour in her voice, making him laugh. "Thank you for bringing him home Harry."

He watched her walk away for a moment before turning away and walking in the opposite direction.

---

"Hi," he whispered, softly, as he stopped in front of her. She was sat reading and he wondered, briefly, where the book had come from.

"I always have one in my bag," she said, in answer to his unspoken question, and hastily put it away. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, he's fine. Very groggy, but I'll come back tomorrow." He saw her looking around for Jane and smiled. "She's already gone home."

"Ah, right. I thought, well, I'm not really sure what I thought to be honest."

He reached for her hand and pulled her up from her seat. "She was surprisingly civil in the end. She even thanked me for bringing him home to her."

Ruth beamed at him. "Good, I'm glad she can see you had Graham's best interests at heart."

"Would you like to go home?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"If I'm going home alone or not."

He rolled his eyes at her in exasperation. "You can be so bloody stubborn sometimes," he saw she was about to protest but cut her off, "I meant with me."

"Oh," she said, softly, before smirking at him, "you should have said that then!"

"Is that a yes or a no?" he asked, refusing to rise to the bait.

She pressed herself against him, rose up on to her tiptoes and kissed him briefly on the lips. "What do you think?" she murmured.

He smiled at her lovingly and clasped her hand tightly in his as they set off down the corridor together. "I think I'm a lucky man."

* * *

**There is every possibility that I will write a sequel ;)**

**A final review would be lovely. :-) **


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